Over 10,000 para military troops required for safe Amarnath yatra

Jammu, Apr 21 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir government will be requiring additional forces of about 10,000 para-military troops, to ensure safe and peaceful annual Amarnath yatra begining on June 11, Official sources said at present nine companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed on poll duty in various states and the state could face shortage of troops to ensure incident free yatra in the absence of additional troops.

The sources said, the state government is monitoring the security situation and if deployment of additional forces for containing the activities of militants were found necessary the Union Home Ministry and the Defence Ministry would be informed accordingly.

A senior police officer said we do not have enough forces in our reserves when already the security grid had been disturbed in the summer capital by sending nine companies of the CRPF for election duty outside the state.

He said last year more than 10,000 men of the army, paramilitary forces and the police had been deployed to provide three tier security cover to the pilgrims and for sanitizing the Pahalgam-cave and Baltal-cave routes against militant hideouts and explosives.

Since the government had decided to have a two-month long yatra period this season, we need more then 10,000 security personnel for ensuring incident free yatra, he said.

Another senior government functionary explained that while the troops were deployed on the hill tops between Pahalgam and the cave and between Baltal and the mountain cave, abode of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati, the BSF were posted to carry out road opening exercise and the CRPF personnel for providing security in and around the camps.

The police personnel carry out patrolling of the mountain route and lend assistance to pilgrims.

For sanitizing the mountain routes from Baltal and Pahalgam, the army authorities deploy about 6,000 soldiers and two brigadiers.

The government expects between three and five lakh pilgrims to visit the holy cave.

Last year about four lakh yatris had made it to the mountain shrine.

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