NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah convened a high-level meeting on Tuesday to assess the security readiness for the Amarnath Yatra, which will resume on June 30 after a two-year hiatus.
The meeting came only days after Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla called a similar meeting to assess the annual pilgrimage's security readiness. Bhalla has held two comparable sessions so far, one on May 13 in Delhi and the other on April 15 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Those participating in the meeting are Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha of Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Intelligence Bureau Chief Arvind Kumar, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General Kuldiep Singh, Director General of Police Jammu and Kashmir Dilbag Singh, Director General of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Lieutenant General Rajeev Chaudhary, and other officers from the Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and (MHA).
Members of the Amarnathji Shrine Board of Trustees joined the meeting through video conferencing. According to sources, Shah will be informed of security updates and the department of Central Armed Police Forces on specific areas during the pilgrimage, as well as the regional situation.
Resuming the Amarnath pilgrimage is a difficult challenge because terrorists have carried out multiple targeted assassinations in Jammu and Kashmir in recent months, prompting the Ministry of Home Affairs to encourage security forces in the state to step up counter-terror operations. However, online registration for the Amarnath Yatra 2022 will begin on April 11, and the Home Ministry has already approved over 50 CAPF companies to offer security during the pilgrimage, as J-K expects nearly three lakh pilgrims to visit the Amarnath cave shrine this year.
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