Security up for Amarnath yatra

A detailed security plan is being worked out for the Amarnath Yatra in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir that spans nearly 60 days this year.

An official said all threats to the pilgrimage, including “stone-throwing,” were being assessed.

In the past two days, a tourist and a school bus were stoned in south Kashmir.

An official said tourists and children were never attacked in the past.

Last year, eight persons were killed when a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims from Gujarat was attacked by Lashkar-e-Taiba militants near Batingoo in Anantnag district. The Union Home Secretary has conducted several meetings to put in place a robust security plan for the pilgrimage this year.

“A detailed security plan is made for the Amarnath Yatra, in conjunction with the Jammu and Kashmir police, the Army and all agencies [concerned]. The plan will take care of threats that are likely to arise. We have to make an assessment of all threats... and stone-pelting is one of them,” said R.R. Bhatnagar, Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The CRPF deploys the largest number of personnel for the pilgrimage from June 28 to August 28.

As per the norms, pilgrims have to be registered with the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) and should move as part of an elaborate security convoy. In 2017, around 2.6 lakh pilgrims visited the Himalayan cave shrine located at a height of 3,888 metres.

On Monday night, a bus carrying tourists from Kerala came under attack from stone-throwers at Pahalgam in Anantnag, famous for resorts and holiday homes.