J-K: Security measures reviewed ahead of Navratri at Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi

Jammu, Sep 20 (PTI) Ahead of Navratri festivities, Jammu and Kashmir police on Saturday reviewed the security arrangements at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Reasi, Paramvir Singh, chaired the security review meeting at Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the revered shrine. Senior officers from the army, CRPF, and intelligence agencies also attended the meeting.

Navratri is scheduled to start on September 22 and end on October 1, with the shrine board expecting a heavy rush of devotees from across the country.

Addressing the meeting, the SSP underlined that the primary responsibility of all deployed forces is to provide a secure and peaceful environment to the devotees visiting the shrine during the festival.

He emphasised the need for foolproof security arrangements for pilgrims along the entire track up to the Bhawan.

Directions were issued for intensive frisking and thorough checking to ensure that no anti-social or anti-national elements can disrupt the peaceful environment, a police spokesman said.

He said special attention was given to the challenge of impersonation cases, with instructions for strict Identity card verification and heightened surveillance to prevent such incidents.

The SSP directed frequent verification and census of migrants in and around Katra town, priority verification of pony porters and workers, regular checking of hotels and residential accommodations to verify character antecedents of visitors, revisiting and updating the list of Over Ground Workers at all police stations.

Additionally, he urged close monitoring of social media platforms to counter emerging patterns of radicalisation. PTI TAS TAS MPL MPL