89 additional CAPF units, advanced surveillance, real-time monitoring for safe Amarnath yatra this year

The Center has decided to increase the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) during the next 57 days of Amarnath yatra from 581 companies in 2025 to 670 companies this year.

The increase in the number of 89 CAPF companies came in the wake of the terror attack on tourists in April 2025 at Pahalgam, one of the yatra routes in south Kashmir as well as the Baltal route in central Kashmir. CAPF personnel will manage the pilgrimage route from Jammu’s entry point Lakhanpur, stopovers in Jammu and the cave temple in Kashmir.

For the first time after the Pahalgam attack, the J&K police investigated the backgrounds of service providers who offered services such as palanquins and horse rides to the cave shrine to pilgrims. Special ID cards with QR codes were distributed to service providers “in order to prevent malicious people from interfering with them.”

Police officials said J&K Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat had directed district heads “to ensure proper arrangements for incoming units and their effective deployment on the ground”.

DGP Prabhat, who improved the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Amarnath yatra, called for “proactive strategies against potential threats”. The police officer also instructed the field formations to “intensify efforts to eliminate the terrorist ecosystem and strengthen area dominance along the pilgrimage routes.”

Special anti-sabotage teams backed by advanced surveillance systems, face detectors and real-time monitoring mechanisms have been activated for the upcoming yatra, officials said. J&K Police “initiated random inspections in sensitive areas and intensified patrolling to effectively address possible security concerns”.