Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, June 14

Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat on Sunday directed security agencies to increase the use of surveillance technology, including CCTV networks and RFID-based monitoring systems, to strengthen security arrangements for this year’s Amarnath pilgrimage, one of India’s largest annual religious gatherings.

According to a police statement, DGP Prabhat issued the directions while chairing a high-level security review meeting in Srinagar to assess preparedness for the pilgrimage, which attracts hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees to the Himalayan cave shrine each year.

He called for optimum utilisation of modern security technologies at key pilgrimage locations, including transit camps, base camps and routes used by pilgrims travelling to the shrine in south Kashmir.

The DGP directed officers to effectively deploy RFID-based tracking systems to improve monitoring of yatris and authorised vehicles and enhance emergency response capabilities.

He also instructed officers to maintain heightened vigilance at sensitive locations and intensify anti-militancy operations, patrols and area domination exercises along pilgrimage routes, railway tracks and tourist destinations.

Quick Response Teams should be stationed at strategic locations to ensure rapid intervention during emergencies, the police chief said.

He stressed the importance of coordination between police, civil administration and other agencies to ensure smooth conduct of the pilgrimage, while also reviewing security preparations for upcoming Muharram processions and the annual Kheer Bhawani festival.

The Amarnath Yatra is conducted under extensive security arrangements due to past militant attacks targeting pilgrims and security forces.