Srinagar: The central government has ordered the deployment of 580 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including around 42,000 personnel, for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said on Thursday.
Out of the total, 424 companies are being newly dispatched to the Union Territory, while the remaining units are already stationed there. Among the pre-deployed forces are approximately 80 companies that had been sent during Operation Sindoor. These will now be redeployed in Srinagar and other areas along the pilgrimage route to ensure the safety of the devotees.
Officials said that the Union Home Ministry has directed the forces to begin movement “immediately” and assume full security control in the region by the second week of June.
The annual Amarnath Yatra is scheduled to begin on July 3 and will conclude on August 9.
A security blueprint for the pilgrimage is being drawn up in light of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead, most of them tourists.
“The Union Home Ministry has decided to deploy around 580 CAPF companies for the Amarnath Yatra this time. This includes 150 to 160 units already present in Jammu and Kashmir,” an official said.
The personnel are being drawn from the CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB. Each company typically comprises 70 to 75 personnel.
