Amit Shah expected to issue guidelines to intensify counter-terror operations

Srinagar, June 15: Following the recent terror attack in the Jammu division and ahead of the Amaranth Yatra, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.

During this high-level meeting, Shah is expected to provide broad guidelines to intensify counter-terror operations.

The preparation for the annual Amarnath Yatra, starting on June 29, will also be assessed.

This meeting follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directive to deploy the “full spectrum of counter-terror capabilities” after a series of terror incidents, including an attack on a bus carrying pilgrims.

Key attendees will include National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Army Chief General Manoj Pande, Army Chief-designate Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Director General of CRPF Anish Dayal Singh, Director General of Police R R Swain, and other senior security officials.

Shah will be briefed on the current security situation, including force deployment along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC), infiltration attempts, ongoing anti-terror operations, and the number of active terrorists.

He will outline immediate actions for security agencies in alignment with the Prime Minister’s directives.

In recent days, terrorists have struck multiple locations in Reasi, Kathua, and Doda districts, resulting in the deaths of nine yatris and a CRPF man, and injuries to seven security personnel and several civilians. In an encounter in Kathua, security forces killed two suspected Pakistani terrorists and recovered a substantial cache of arms and ammunition.

The incidents have raised concerns ahead of the Amarnath Yatra.

Last year, over 4.28 lakh people visited the cave shrine, and this year, the number is expected to rise to 5 lakh.

Pilgrims will be provided with RFID cards for real-time tracking and Rs 5 lakh insurance coverage. Animals carrying yatris will have insurance coverage of Rs 50,000 each.

Shah is expected to emphasise the importance of smooth arrangements from the airport and railway station to the yatra base camp and ensuring the security of all yatris.

On Friday, Shah received a briefing from the ministry officials, the Intelligence Bureau, and other security agencies about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the measures taken after the recent terror incidents.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously discussed the security deployment and counter-terror operations with Shah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, receiving a comprehensive update on the efforts underway.

A search operation is ongoing in Jammu and Kashmir to track and neutralise terrorists following the June 9 attack on the bus carrying yatris.

Security forces launched a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) in Kathua’s Saida Sukhal village on Thursday after receiving information about the presence of two more terrorists.

In an extended 15-hour operation, two suspected Pakistani terrorists and a CRPF man were killed in Kathua.

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

In Reasi district, where the bus attack occurred, 50 suspects have been detained, and the search operation has been expanded to remote areas.

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Law and Oder (L&O), Vijay Kumar has directed security forces to strengthen the existing infrastructure, enhance surveillance tactics, and bolster personnel deployment along the Amarnath Yatra routes.

Anti-sabotage teams would be deployed to identify and neutralise potential threats.