Amit Shah to chair key security meeting in Delhi over J&K target killings, Amarnath Yatra

New Delhi, May 16: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to hold a high-level review meeting on the security situation of Jammu and Kashmir in Delhi, ahead of the commencement of Amarnath Yatra.

The meeting comes days after Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit, was shot down in his office in Budgam. The security of minorities in the valley is the key agenda of the meeting.

The home minister will carry out a detailed review of the security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of recent targetted killings and the upcoming Amarnath Yatra which sees a massive footfall of pilgrims.

Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha met Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh here, and discussed the road infrastructure for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra.

"Met Hon'ble Raksha Mantri, Shri Raj Nath Singh Ji @rajnathsingh today and discussed road infrastructure for Shri AmarnathJi Yatra and @BROindia assistance at difficult stretches in challenging terrain at high altitudes which will greatly ease the trek to the holy cave," Sinha tweeted.

The annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine located in the upper reaches of south Kashmir could not be carried out in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, while it was cut short in 2019 just before the abrogation of Article 370.

The home secretary reviewed the security preparedness for the Amarnath Yatra with top officials of paramilitary forces and the Jammu and Kashmir administration.

About 10,000 paramilitary personnel (100 companies) in addition to Jammu and Kashmir Police are expected to be deployed along the two pilgrimage routes via Pahalgam and Baltal.

About three lakh pilgrims are likely to take part in the yatra, which is expected to end on August 11.

The Amarnath pilgrimage will be a big security challenge for the government as Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing a number of targeted killings in recent weeks.

There has been a spurt in attacks on non-Muslims and outsiders living in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir, in August 2019.

On Thursday, terrorists killed a Kashmiri Pandit, Rahul Bhat, in Budgam district.

Bhat is the second Kashmiri Pandit to have been killed by terrorists in the last seven months.

As many as 14 people belonging to Jammu and Kashmir's minority Hindu community, including Kashmiri Pandits, have been killed by militants in various parts of Kashmir between August 2019 and March 2022.