Home Minister Amit Shah directs security forces to maintain utmost vigil during Amarnath Yatra

JAMMU: The government will leave no stone unturned to provide all required facilities to the Amarnath pilgrims, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, as he directed security forces to maintain utmost vigilance and ensure seamless completion of the annual pilgrimage.

Shah said this after chairing a high-level meeting here on Thursday night to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra.

“Chaired a review meeting for the Amarnath Pilgrimage and evaluated the security arrangements and preparedness meant for the pilgrims. Instructed to maintain utmost vigilance and ensure seamless completion of the sacred journey,” Shah wrote on X.

The Central government and the Jammu and Kashmir administration will leave no stone unturned to provide the pilgrims with all necessary facilities, Shah said.

The annual Amarnath pilgrimage will begin on July 3 and end on August 9.

Shah arrived here on Thursday evening amid tight security, his first visit to the Union Territory after Operation Sindoor, officials said.

The home minister will visit Poonch on Friday to meet the people affected by Pakistani shelling. Shah will also visit religious places and meet BSF personnel in Poonch district, which recorded the highest number of civilian fatalities 14 out of the total 28 deaths in Pakistani shelling and drone attacks between May 7 and May 10, the officials said.

The Centre has ordered the deployment of 581 companies, comprising about 42,000 on ground personnel, of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) for the Amarnath Yatra, official sources said.

While 424 companies are being sent to the Union Territory, the rest, including about 80 companies that moved to J&K during Operation Sindoor, will be “relocated” to secure the pilgrimage route, the pilgrims and other areas, including Srinagar, they said.(Agencies)