Amarnath Yatra: For first time pilgrimage reduced to 38 days, 50k troops, drones, bomb squads to guard yatris

The Amarnath Yatra to the holy cave shrine of Lord Shiva in Jammu and Kashmir is not going to be for its usual period of 52 days but 38 days. This is for the first time that the duration of yatra has been reduced by the Indian government.

The annual pilgrimage would commence from July 3 and would culminate on August 9 keeping in view the security threat, post the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 innocent people were killed.

Security beefed up

Security for the yatra has been beefed up to ensure the safe passage of devotees during the sacred journey.

Nearly 50,000 CRPF jawans alongside personnel from the Jammu and Kashmir Police have been deployed as part of the security measures for the Amarnath Yatra 2025, reported Times of India.

The is the largest-ever deployment of CRPF personnel for this yatra.

Other security measures

• Jammers will be installed to protect the convoys from potential threats
• All roads leading to the Yatra routes and National Highways will be temporarily blocked for maximum security
• Drones, bomb squads, and sniffer dog teams will monitor the two routes taken by pilgrims
• The yatris will be escorted by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)
• Specially trained sniffer dogs and drones for aerial surveillance will also be put in place
• All pilgrims will receive RFID (radio frequency identification) tags that allow real-time tracking of their movement in order to allow quick response by security forces

In case of any natural disaster, teams from Jammu and Kashmir Police, NDRF, SDRF, BSF and CRPF will be deployed at all the critical junctures for both the routes so that help can reach out to Yatris as soon as possible in case of any emergency.

Security agencies have been instructed by the home ministry to maintain high alertness and vigilance to ensure a completely peaceful Amarnath Yatra.

So far, over 3.5 lakh people have registered for this year’s Amarnath Yatra.