Operation Shiva: Security forces prepare to guard Amarnath Yatra

Security forces are preparing to launch Operation Shiva to guard the upcoming Amarnath yatra and thousands of personnel will be assigned duties in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure that the annual Hindu pilgrimage to a mountain cave shrine goes smoothly, officials aware of the development said on Monday.

- Rahul Singh

SRINAGAR:

This year the yatra is happening against the backdrop of simmering tensions between India and Pakistan that are threatening to reach a flashpoint in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror strike and the Pakistan Army stepped up hostilities along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir for the 11th straight day.

In Delhi, national security adviser Ajit Doval and defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi separately and briefed him on the latest security developments after the April 22 strike that killed 26 people and sparked the worst crisis between the nuclear-armed neighbours since the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, the officials said, asking not to be named.

Over the weekend, the chief of the air staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, and navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, briefed Modi on the operational readiness of the two services and the current security dynamics in the region. The meetings were significant as the PM has granted the military a free hand to respond forcefully to the Pahalgam terror attack.

Operation Shiva is an annual multi agency effort but this year the challenges of securing and monitoring the yatra route from Jammu right up to the 13,000-foot sacred cave in south Kashmir's mountains have been magnified by the rare and targeted terror strike on Hindu tourists at Baisaran near Pahalgam, said one of the officials.

The yatra will be conducted from July 3 to August 9.

Last year, 510,000 pilgrims visited the shrine — the highest in 12 years.