New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of recent militant attacks in some parts of Jammu division.
The Union Home Minister called a high-level meeting on June 16, to be attended by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, top officials of the Army, CRPF and others to review the security situation in Jammu & Kashmir and steps taken to check militancy related activities there.
At Sunday’s meeting, the Home Minister will also take stock of the preparedness for the annual Amarnath Yatra, which will begin on June 29, sources said. The home minister was briefed about the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the steps taken following the recent militant attacks, they said.
The militants struck at four places in the Reasi, Kathua and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir over the past four days, killing nine pilgrims and a CRPF jawan and leaving seven security personnel and several others injured.
Two suspected Pakistani militants were also killed in an encounter with security forces in Kathua district, and a large quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from them.
On Sunday, militants opened fire on a 53-seater bus carrying pilgrims when it was en route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra from the Shiv Khori temple. The bus, carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi, plunged into a deep gorge following the gunfire, killing nine people and injuring 41 others.
On Tuesday, militants fired at a joint checkpost of the Rashtriya Rifles and police at Chattergalla in Bhaderwah, while a search party in the Gandoh area of Doda district was attacked on Wednesday, resulting in injuries to seven security personnel, including police personnel.
The search operation launched in Jammu and Kashmir to track down and neutralise militants after the June 9 attack on a bus carrying pilgrims continues, officials said.
Officials said security forces launched a fresh search and cordon operation in Kathua’s Saida Sukhal village on Thursday following information about the presence of two more militants. This came a day after two suspected Pakistani militants and a CRPF jawan were killed in the village after an over 15-hour operation.
A large number of arms and ammunition, including one M4 Rifle, an AK assault rifle, a satellite phone and more than Rs 2.10 lakh besides Pakistan-made eatables, medicines and electronics were recovered from the possession of the slain militants, one of whom was said to be a top commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit.
Police had on Wednesday released sketches of four militants involved in two attacks in Doda district and announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for information leading to their arrest.
In Reasi district, where militants had attacked a bus carrying pilgrims on Sunday, police said so far, 50 suspected persons were detained as the search operation was intensified to remote pockets.
Police had also issued an advisory, urging residents of the Jammu region to stay vigilant regarding the movement of suspicious individuals and objects.
The advisory was issued following intelligence inputs suggesting the possibility of a militant threat in parts of Rajouri and Jammu districts.
Meanwhile, police in Jammu and Kashmir have started preparation for the two-month-long Amarnath yatra.
Additional Director General of Police Vijay Kumar directed the security forces to fortify the existing security infrastructure, improve surveillance tactics and bolster personnel deployment along the Amarnath pilgrimage route.
Services of specialised forces like the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) may also be utilised to get vulnerable points along the pilgrimage route mapped so that these can be monitored regularly to enhance the overall safety measures, officials said.
