In a significant move to enhance security for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sanctioned the deployment of 581 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This decision precedes Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit on Thursday.
A formal communication regarding the deployment was dispatched to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of J&K on May 23. This MHA approval comes in response to a request from the J&K government, dated May 20, for additional forces to ensure a secure and peaceful pilgrimage season.
Sources indicate that 156 CAPF companies are already stationed in J&K, including 91 from the CRPF and 13 from the BSF, along with units from other CAPFs. An additional 425 companies are slated for deployment in the coming days. This reinforcement will comprise 128 CRPF companies (including five Mahila Coys), 130 BSF companies, 45 CISF companies, 55 ITBP companies, and 67 SSB companies.
The MHA has specified that all 581 companies will remain in J&K until the Yatra concludes, at which point they will be promptly withdrawn. The ministry has instructed the J&K administration to formulate a detailed deployment plan in close coordination with the respective forces. Furthermore, the MHA has stressed that the UT government will be responsible for managing transportation, logistics, accommodation, and other necessary facilities for the deployed forces.
Special directives have also been issued to the Railway Board to provide an adequate number of train coaches for the movement of security personnel as per requirements.
Ensuring the safety of pilgrims during this sacred annual pilgrimage, which draws millions of devotees, is anticipated to be a major security challenge this year, particularly given that those responsible for the Pahalgam attack remain at large.
