Amarnath Yatra begins today; intelligence warns of attack

Agencies
June 28, 2017

Jammu/Srinagar, Jun 28: The annual Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir beginning tomorrow is facing a terror threat, according to an intelligence warning which has prompted the authorities to mobilise the "highest level" of security measures, including satellite tracking system.

amarnathyathra

The 40-day-long pilgrimage to the holy cave of Amarnath in the mountainous region of south Kashmir will commence tomorrow from Jammu, about 200 kms from the shrine.

Over 2.30 lakh pilgrims have registered for the yatra and the first batch of over 4,000 pilgrims will be flagged off by Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh for the twin base-camps of Pahalgam and Baltal in Anantnag and Ganderbal districts.

"Intelligence input received from SSP Anantnag reveals that terrorists have been directed to eliminate 100 to 150 pilgrims and about 100 police officers and officials," according to a letter sent by Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Zone) Muneer Khan to the Army, the CRPF, and range DIGs in the state.

"The input is assessed to be a HUMINT (human intelligence) and it needs further corroboration," the IGP said in the letter.

At this stage, the possibility of a sensational attack by a terrorist outfit cannot be ruled out, he said.

"The attack may be in the form of stand-off fire on yatra convoy which they believe will result in flaring of communal tensions throughout the nation," the IGP said in the letter which is being circulated in many groups on Whatsapp.

All the officers and officials deployed on the ground need to remain alert and maintain utmost vigil, he added in the letter whose copy got leaked and went viral on social media.

Khan later tried to play it down, saying there was no need to panic as it was part of information being shared with agencies to check its authenticity.

Jammu and Kashmir DGP S P Vaid said someone has spread it on social media to create panic.

The government has mobilised a heavy security blanket of over 35,000 to 40,000 troops including the police, the Army, the BSF and the CRPF.

In addition to the existing strength of the CRPF in the state, the Centre has provided over 250 companies (25,000 personnel) of paramilitary forces to the state government.

The BSF has deployed over 2,000 troops for the yatra while the Army has provided 5 battalions (about 5000 personnel) and additional 54 companies (5400 personnel) of the police have also been mobilised.

"This Amarnath yatra will have the highest-ever security setup to ensure an incident-free yatra," said Special Director General of CRPF S N Shrivastava.

Asked about the intelligence warning, hesaid, "I will not like to discuss the issue in public but you are aware about the situation in Kashmir. We have taken measures as per the these intelligence inputs and have made appropriate security arrangements."

Describing the yatra as "a big challenge to us", he told reporters, "All security arrangements have been made in view of the threat perception... Elaborate security has been put in place for an incident-free yatra and to ensure safety and security of pilgrims and camps."

As a measure of security, satellite tracking system has been put in place for the safety of convoys carrying the pilgrims, said Shrivastava, who visited the base camp along with CRPF IG Ashkoor Wani to review the preparations.

CCTV cameras, jammers, RoPs, dog squads, bullet-proof bunkers, QRTs, satellite tracking and other security gadgets are being used to maintain vigil in view of increased threat perception due to in increased terror incidents and violence in Kashmir.

BSF DG K K Sharma said in Kolkata, "The situation is very tense this year. This time there is a high level of threat perception. We have taken all precautions regarding deployment of forces and our commandos."

He added, "We will ensure that it passes off peacefully like previous years."

Deputy Commissioner of Anantnag Syed Abid Rasheed Shah said the authorities were cognizant of the security challenge and it had been conveyed to the security forces.

This year's yatra will be eight days shorter against the last years' of 48 days and conclude on Shravan Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) on August 7.

Situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of Lidder Valley, Amarnath shrine stands at 3,888 metres, 46 km from Pahalgam and 14 km from Baltal.

"The administration is working in close coordination with various agencies to ensure smooth conduct of yatra," said Shah, who is also district yatra officer.

At a meeting, he took detailed account of the arrangements put in place at base camp Nunwan, including the medical facilities, ration, accommodation, sanitation, power drinking water and communication to cater the rush of pilgrims.

He said 450 tents have to be established at base camp Nunwan, out of which 271 have been pitched so far.

The meeting was also informed that a 10-bedded hospital at Nunwan and 20-bedded hospital at Chandanwari have been established besides, ensured availability of adequate stock of life saving drugs and oxygen cylinders, an official spokesman said.

Mountain Rescue Teams (MRTs) of the state police along with rescue teams of various security forces have been pressed into service along with well-equipped fire fighting teams at pre-determined points, officials said.

Oxygen cylinders, ECG machines, defibrillators,oxygen concentrators, CPR machines, X-ray machines, ventilators, resuscitation sets have been installed and all required medicines are available are the hospital.

At Baltal Base Hospital, Shrivastava interacted with doctors deputed from Safdarjang Hospital, Delhi, who are already treating the local residents and service providers.

Residential accommodation and mess facilities for about 250 medical personnel, including those arriving from different parts of the country, to provide medical assistance for the pilgrims have also been put in place.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 26,2024

telengana.jpg

Hyderabad: The K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi faces big questions as shocking allegations of state police officers tapping the phones of then Opposition leaders in Telangana, including current Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, celebrities and businessmen come to the fore.

The surveillance, it is alleged, was also used to blackmail businessmen into contributing huge amounts to the BRS party fund.

The BRS is yet to respond to the allegations.

Three senior police officers have been arrested in this connection and a lookout notice issued against T Prabhakar Rao, former chief of the state intelligence bureau, who is reportedly in the US now.

Police have said two senior officers - Additional Superintendent of Police Bhujanga Rao and Additional Superintendent of Police Thirupathanna - have admitted to illegal surveillance and destruction of evidence.

According to reports, Ravi Paul, a technical consultant with the state intelligence bureau under the then BRS government, had allegedly helped import and set up phone-tapping equipment near the residence of Mr Reddy to listen in on his conversations.

The equipment, it is alleged, was imported from Israel using a software company as the front. No permission from the Centre - a must for such imports - was taken, it is learnt. With this setup, anything spoken within a range of 300 metres could be heard, reports say.

Ravi Paul, it is alleged, set up an office near Mr Reddy's residence and installed the device. Police are set to question him in this connection.

Lookout notices have also been issued for Sharvan Rao, who runs a Telugu TV channel I News, and Radha Kishan Rao, a police officer with the city task force.

The surveillance was not restricted to Opposition leaders. Top businessmen, including real estate dealers and jewellers, and celebrities were also under surveillance. In fact, the tapping of phone conversations led to the divorce of a celebrity couple, reports say.

To add to the BRS's troubles, Chief Minister Reddy has received a complaint from Sharan Chaudhary, a businessman and a BJP leader, alleging that senior police officers kidnapped him last year and forced him to sign off a plot of land to a relative of former minister and BRS leader Errabelli Dayakar Rao.

Mr Chaudhury has alleged that Radha Kishan Rao and senior police officer ACP Umamaheswara Rao kidnapped him on August 21 while he was on his way to office. He has alleged that he was illegally detained and forced to register his property in the name of Vijay, a close relative of the minister. He was also forced to pay ₹ 50 lakh before they let him go.

The businessman has said he had approached the High Court after the incident, but Uma Maheshwar Rao threatened to file false cases against him and forced him to withdraw the petition.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 16,2024

election.jpg

New Delhi: The 2024 general election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases from April 19, Chief Election Commissioner Rajeev Kumar said today, announcing the largest democratic exercise in the world. Results will be announced on June 4.

The seven phases: 
April 19
April 26
May 7
May 13
May 20
May 25
June 1

Simultaneous election for Lok Sabha and assembly will be held in four states -- Sikkim, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Andhra.  

By-elections will also be held for 26 assembly seats across multiple states, including Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

Mr Kumar, announcing the dates, sent out a strong message on fake news on social media, saying political parties should ensure responsible social media behaviour -- "verify before you amplify".

"Fake news will be dealt with severely as per existent laws.. Section 79 (3)(B) of the IT Act empowers nodal officers in each state to remove unlawful content," he said.

The other strong message was on violation of model code in terms of hate speeches. "There should be issue-based campaign, no hate speeches, no speeches along caste or religious lines, no criticism of anyone's personal lives," he said.

The media must clarify when they carry political adverts, those cannot masquerade as news, he said. Individual messages regarding this would be sent to the candidates, he added.

The commission has employed 2,100 advisors to keep an eye on these issues and strong action will be taken regarding this, he said.

Voters above the age of 85 years and persons with disabilities, with 40 per cent disability can vote from home, Mr Kumar said. Around 82 lakh voter are above the age of 85, he said.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 28,2024

New Delhi: After India summoned an American diplomat over their remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case, the US reiterated on Wednesday its call for "fair, transparent, timely legal processes".

We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, said US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller while responding to questions on India summoning Gloria Berbena, the US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi.

The meeting at the foreign ministry's South Block office lasted nearly 40 minutes yesterday with India objecting strongly to the US remarks on the arrest of Mr Kejriwal.

Miller also responded to a question on the Congress party's frozen bank accounts, saying, "We are also aware of the Congress party's allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections."

He said the US encourages "fair, transparent and timely legal processes" for each of these issues.

"With respect to your first question, I'm not going to talk about any private diplomatic conversations, but of course, what we have said publicly is what I just said from here, that we encourage fair, transparent, timely legal processes. We don't think anyone should object to that," he said.

Mr Kejriwal was arrested last week by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the third Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader after Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh to be taken into custody in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.

The US State Department on Tuesday said it is monitoring reports of Mr Kejriwal's arrest and called on New Delhi to ensure "a fair and timely legal process" for the jailed Chief Minister.

India objected to it and warned of "unhealthy precedents".

"States are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others, and this responsibility is even more so in case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents," the foreign ministry said.

"India's legal processes are based on an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes. Casting aspersions on that is unwarranted," the ministry stressed.

The US remarks came days after Germany's Foreign Office stressed that Mr Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial. The Indian government had reacted strongly and summoned the German envoy, labelling their remark "blatant interference in internal matters".

The excise policy was introduced to bring an overhaul to the liquor business in Delhi, but was scrapped after Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena ordered a probe into the alleged irregularities in the policy. The ED believes the bribe money from the policy was allegedly used for funding the AAP's election campaigns. It has also called Mr Kejriwal a "conspirator" in the case.

His arrest just ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election has also prompted furious protests from the opposition camp.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.