Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): The Central Reserve Police Force is imparting a special training to its personnel to be deployed for the annual Amarnath Yatra 2023 in order to deal with the threat of sticky bombs, sources said. Sources said that 15,000 to 20,000 CRPF personnel may be deployed for this year's Yatra. However, the Home Ministry has not yet issued an official deployment order for the.
It is anticipated that this year's yatra will involve a significant CRPF personnel deployment. While the Jammu and Kashmir administration has not yet announced the date for the commencement of the Yatra, sources said that CRPF personnel are receiving specialized training, specifically on how to handle the challenge of sticky explosives.
According to sources, the base camp for the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar would be under drone surveillance this year. In order to counter drone strikes, anti-drone technology will also be placed in the camp, sources said. Bhagwati Nagar base camp is barely 12 to 15 kilometres from the border. CRPF spokesperson Shivanandan in a phone conversation with ETV Bharat, confirmed that the CRPF personnel are receiving special training for the threat of militant attacks on the Amarnath Yatra.
Also read: CRPF ready to tackle 'sticky bomb' challenge ahead of annual Amarnath Yatra
"This time the Yatra is probably going to get bigger. It is likely that more personnel may be deployed this year than last year. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs has not yet disclosed how many companies will be deployed," he added. Sources said that the CRPF has requested the government to make sure that the vehicles transporting pilgrims from Bhagwati Nagar are fitted with the necessary equipment to tackle possible militant attacks.
The CRPF has also flagged mid-trip vehicle breakdowns that have happened often. The CRPF has further requested that adequate preparations be made for the personnel's stay in Bhagwati Nagar. Pertinently, in the year 2021, the BSF had made the first of its kind seizure in Feb. after a drone-dropped consignment was seized along the International Border in Samba district.
The consignment included 14 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) with in-built magnets which the BSF said could have been used as sticky bombs.
