Army personnel set up Operation Shiva to guard Amarnath Yatra

New Delhi, July 2: Operation Shiva comprising 7,500 army personnel has been set up to provide security to those devotees taking part in the Amarnath Yatra. Intelligence Bureau officials tell OneIndia that all security measures are in place in the wake of intelligence suggesting that a group of 15 terrorists are likely to attempt a strike.

The Amarnath Yatra has been on the radar of terrorist groups for long and every year there is an intelligence alert sounded ahead of the event. This time around the terrorists have been plotting strikes since long, IB officials further informed.

Hizbul Mujahideen on watch

Intelligence Bureau officials say that the Hizbul Mujahideen in particular is looking to carry out strikes ahead of the Amartnath Yatra. They have been carrying out attacks in a phased manner since the past couple of months. First they carried out attacks on the telecom sector.

Militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen had planted devices on these towers through which they kept in touch with their Pakistan handlers. When the security officials in Jammu and Kashmir took down these devices, it angered the Hizbul and they attacked the towers.

Secondly they also sought to disrupt communications ahead of the Amarnath Yatra. Firstly it would have caused a great deal of problems to the devotees as they would have been unable to communicate. Secondly it would have also troubled the security agencies who rely on the towers to communicate.

Yatra is secure

The IB says that there is no cause for concern. Alerts are issued based on the intercepts that are picked up. While there is a group of 15 who have been attempting to disrupt the Yatra, they will not be successful, the officer also pointed out.

Moreover the army has created a fortress and have posted 7,500 personnel to provide security to the devotees. There would be strategic deployment of the army forces and terrorists will find it impossible to penetrate. The operation has been code named Operation Shiva.

OneIndia News