New Delhi: Security was heightened across Jammu & Kashmir on Wednesday as the Union territory marked the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370. Authorities put in place a multi-layered security grid and temporarily suspended fresh Amarnath Yatra departures from the Jammu base camp as a precautionary measure.
The Central Reserve Police Force conducted security checks along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in Ramban, while police intensified vehicle checks and identity verification on National Highway-44 in Kulgam. Security was also reinforced in border areas, with additional personnel deployed and surveillance stepped up across the region.
Authorities denied permission for protest demonstrations at several locations, while security agencies maintained a close vigil to prevent any disruption to public order.
Fresh Amarnath pilgrims halted from Jammu
No fresh batch of pilgrims was allowed to leave the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu for the twin routes to the Amarnath cave shrine via Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district. Officials did not specify a reason for the suspension.
However, reports said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure in view of the Article 370 anniversary.
The restriction applied only to fresh departures from Jammu for the day. There was no indication that the annual Amarnath Yatra had been cancelled or suspended beyond the day’s precautionary measure.
The heightened security comes days after a police head constable deployed on Amarnath Yatra duty was killed in a terrorist attack in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
According to the reports, suspected militants opened fire on a police team near Lal Chowk on the Anantnag-Kokernag road at around 12.30 pm. The injured officer was shifted to the government medical college hospital in Anantnag, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The incident occurred during the annual Amarnath Yatra, for which thousands of security personnel have been deployed along the pilgrimage routes and at vulnerable locations across Jammu & Kashmir.