Home Minister Amit Shah Reviews Security In J&K, Calls High-Level Meeting On June 16

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday conducted a security situation review in Jammu and Kashmir following multiple terror attacks, including the attack on a pilgrim bus.

He has scheduled a high-level meeting on June 16, with attendees including National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, and senior officials from the Army and CRPF, to assess the current scenario in the Union Territory and evaluate measures to curb terror activities.

According to PTI, during Sunday's meeting, the home minister will assess the readiness for the upcoming annual Amarnath Yatra, scheduled to commence on June 29.

The home minister received a briefing on the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the measures implemented following the recent spate of terror incidents.

Over the past week, terrorists launched attacks in Reasi, Kathua, and Doda districts, resulting in the deaths of nine pilgrims and a CRPF jawan, with seven security personnel and several others sustaining injuries.

Additionally, security forces engaged in an encounter with two suspected Pakistani terrorists in Kathua district, resulting in their deaths and the recovery of a significant quantity of arms and ammunition.

Situation In J&K In Past Week

On Sunday, terrorists opened fire on a 53-seater bus carrying pilgrims when it was en route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra from the Shiv Khori temple. The bus, carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi, plunged into a deep gorge following the gunfire, killing nine people and injuring 41 others.

On Tuesday, terrorists fired at a joint checkpost of the Rashtriya Rifles and police at Chattergalla in Bhaderwah while a search party in the Gandoh area of Doda district was attacked on Wednesday, resulting in injuries to seven security personnel, including a police personnel.

The search operation launched in Jammu and Kashmir to track down and neutralise terrorists after the June 9 attack on a bus carrying pilgrims continues, officials said.

Officials said security forces launched a fresh search and cordon operation in Kathua's Saida Sukhal village on Thursday following information about the presence of two more terrorists. This came a day after two suspected Pakistani terrorists and a CRPF jawan were killed in the village after an over 15-hour operation.

A large quantity of arms and ammunition, including one M4 Rifle, an AK assault rifle, a satellite phone and more than Rs 2.10 lakh besides Pakistan-made eatables, medicines and electronics were recovered from the possession of the slain terrorists, one of whom was said to be a top commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit.

Police had on Wednesday released sketches of four terrorists involved in two attacks in Doda district and announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for information leading to their arrest.

In Reasi district where terrorists had attacked a bus carrying pilgrims on Sunday, police said so far 50 suspected persons were detained as the search operation was intensified to remote pockets.

Police had also issued an advisory, urging residents of the Jammu region to stay vigilant regarding the movement of suspicious individuals and objects.

The advisory was issued following intelligence inputs suggesting the possibility of a terror threat in parts of Rajouri and Jammu districts.

Meanwhile, police in Jammu and Kashmir have started preparation for the two-month-long Amarnath yatra.

Additional Director General of Police Vijay Kumar last week directed the security forces to fortify the existing security infrastructure, improve surveillance tactics and bolster personnel deployment along the Amarnath pilgrimage route.

He also directed officials to mitigate potential risks by deploying anti-sabotage teams along the Yatra routes to identify and neutralise any potential terror threats.

Kumar also held a joint meeting with the officers of the police, Army, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and other agencies and discussed the overall security arrangements to be adopted for the safe, smooth and incident-free conduct of the pilgrimage.

Services of specialised forces like the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) may also be utilised in order to get vulnerable points along the pilgrimage route mapped so that these can be monitored on a regular basis to enhance the overall safety measures, officials said.

Security will be enhanced to mitigate potential risks by deploying anti-sabotage teams along the Amarnath Yatra route to identify and neutralise any potential terror threats, they said.

(With PTI inputs)