New Delhi: The Centre has ordered deployment of 580 companies, comprising about 42,000 on-ground personnel, of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) for the annual Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said on Thursday.
While 424 companies are being sent to the Union Territory (UT), the rest, including about 80 companies that moved to the UT during Operation Sindoor, will be “relocated” to secure the yatra route, the pilgrims and other areas, including Srinagar, they said.
The Union home ministry, officials told PTI, has directed that these forces move “immediately” and take position in Jammu and Kashmir by the second week of June.
“The Union Home Ministry has decided to deploy about 580 CAPF companies for the Amarnath Yatra this time. This includes about 150-160 units already present in the UT,” a senior officer told PTI.
The companies have been drawn from “five CAPFs of CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB. Each of these companies have an operational strength of about 70-75 personnel,” he added further.
The high-level security for the yatra comes after the terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people.
As per the report, Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to review the security arrangements for the pilgrimage during his visit to Jammu.
Amarnath Yatra to begin July 3
The Amarnath Yatra will begin on July 3 and is set to continue till August 9, 2025.
The 38-day yatra leads to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave housing a naturally formed ice-shivling in the union territory.
Pilgrims can choose between the traditional 48-km route from Pahalgam in the Anantnag district or a shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in the Ganderbal district.
