Why "Mountain Force" ITBP Is Tasked To Guard Amarnath Cave This Year

For the first time, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has been tasked to guard the Amarnath cave shrine this year instead of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The Ministry of Home Affairs has finalised deployment changes for the Amarnath yatra this year for better security management. For the first time, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has been tasked to guard the cave shrine this year instead of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) which would be deployed just below the stairs of the holy cave.

The decision was taken based on suggestions from the Jammu And Kashmir Police and Shree Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) in a meeting today.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla chaired the meeting on preparedness for the Amarnath yatra which is scheduled to start from July 1. In it, the role of all forces was decided "location-wise". All heads of the Central Armed Police Forces participated in it, including Director Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka and secretary, Research and Analysis Wing Samant Goel.

"Jammu Kashmir Police had laid out their issues and requirements and after assessing them fresh deployments were assigned to various CAPFs," a senior official disclosed.