Union Home Minister Amit Shah and top officers of the Indian security establishment met for a high-level meeting this morning to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, where four terror attacks within in a week has set off alarm bells.
The meeting, also attended by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, comes less than a fortnight before the Amarnath Yatra, known to draw lakhs of pilgrims.
The top security officers who attended the meeting include Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Chief of Army Staff (designate) Lt General Upendra Dwivedi and CRPF Director General Anish Dayal Singh.
The Union Territory is on high alert after four terror strikes in the past week. Nine pilgrims were killed and 41 others injured when terrorists targeted a bus in Reasi on June 9. A CRPF personnel was killed and several others injured in the other attacks.
The back-to-back attacks in Jammu and Kashmir have emerged as a key challenge for the third Narendra Modi government, which has repeatedly showcased the relative calm in Jammu and Kashmir after its special status was revoked in 2019.
Soon after beginning his third term, Prime Minister Modi chaired a meeting with top officials to discuss the situation in the Union Territory.
The attacks have also raised security concerns surrounding the Amarnath Yatra, which begins on June 29 and will continue till August 19. Pilgrims to the cave shrine travel through two routes in Jammu and Kashmir — Baltal and Pahalgam. Last year, over 4 lakh people visited the shrine.
Jammu and Kashmir police have said the focus is on coordinated efforts to ensure pilgrims’ safety.
