By Praveen kumar
In a significant move to ensure the safety of pilgrims during the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sanctioned the deployment of 580 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), totaling approximately 42,000 personnel, to Jammu and Kashmir.
Official sources confirmed the decision on Thursday, ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s two-day visit to the Union Territory.
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The annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine is scheduled to commence on July 3 and conclude on August 9, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan and Shravan Purnima.
The deployment comes in response to heightened security concerns following a terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed 26 lives, making this year’s Yatra a focal point for security agencies.
According to sources, around 150 CAPF companies are already stationed in Jammu and Kashmir, including 91 units from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 30 from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), 15 from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), 13 from the Border Security Force (BSF), and 7 from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Each company comprises approximately 75-80 personnel. An additional 425 companies, including 130 BSF, 128 CRPF (with five women’s units), 67 SSB, 55 ITBP, and 45 CISF, will be dispatched by June 10 to bolster security along the Yatra routes, base camps, and key areas like Srinagar.
The Ministry of #HomeAffairs has approved a large-scale deployment of paramilitary forces for the security preparedness for the upcoming #AmarnathYatra. A total of 581 paramilitary force companies, comprising about 42,000 on-ground staff, will be deployed across J&K. @ROUBLENAGI pic.twitter.com/F6s5kJcbiA
— Dateline Kashmir (@afrahshah1) May 29, 2025
The MHA, in a communication dated May 23 to the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, emphasized immediate mobilization of these forces to be in position by the second week of June. The ministry has directed the Union Territory administration to coordinate with CAPF units to finalize a detailed deployment plan, ensuring arrangements for transportation, logistics, and accommodation. Special instructions have been issued to the Railway Board to allocate sufficient train coaches for the movement of personnel.
This year’s security arrangements are particularly critical, as the culprits of the Pahalgam attack remain at large, posing a significant challenge to the security grid. The deployment includes units from Operation Sindoor, with some forces being relocated to secure the traditional Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter Baltal route in Ganderbal district, leading to the cave shrine housing the naturally formed ice Shivling.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to review security preparations during his visit, alongside CRPF Director General Gyanendra Pratap Singh and BSF Director General Daljit Singh Chawdhary, who have recently assessed arrangements in Kashmir. The Jammu and Kashmir Police, along with specialized units like the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), will also support the security framework.
