50k CRPF troops, drones, bomb squads & canine teams to guard Amarnath yatris

NEW DELHI: Surveillance drones, bomb disposal squads and canine teams will be deployed along the two designated routes of the Amarnath Yatra as part of heightened security measures that also include the highest-ever deployment of CRPF personnel for the 38-day pilgrimage.Nearly 50,000 CRPF personnel, in addition to J&K Police, will fan across the route of the yatra, engaging in road opening duties to detect and defuse IEDs, besides having quick action teams stationed at vantage points. All approach roads to the NH will be blocked when the yatri convoys, escorted by CRPF troops equipped with satellite phones, will pass through. All convoys will have jammers.The Amarnath Yatra, which is much shorter than its 52-day edition last year, comes in the wake of the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which killed 25 tourists and a local, and led to retaliatory strikes on terror bases in Pakistan as part of Operation Sindoor.

When the Pakistani forces hit back by trying to target civilian settlements and military assets, Indian armed forces responded with full force, carrying out precision strikes on several military targets in Pakistan.Like the past year, there will be radio frequency IDs for both yatris and convoy vehicles to help forces track their journey. Drones will keep an eye on suspicious movement along the yatra routes and quick action teams will swoop in to neutralise such elements before they can strike.