SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI, June 19 � With less than 10 days left for the start of annual Amarnath Yatra, the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government said there is a terror threat to the nearly two-month-long pilgrimage and that additional security forces are being deployed to provide safety, reports PTI.
�There is terror threat to Amarnath Yatra,� Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters in New Delhi today.
Shinde said the government was taking precautions and sending additional forces to ensure safety and security of all pilgrims visiting the 13,500 feet high Himalayan cave shrine in south Kashmir.
�All efforts will be made to ensure security of every pilgrim,� he said. The Yatra is due to commence on June 28.
Shinde�s assessment came even as the J and K government declared the entire pilgrimage route in the state as �highly prone� to terrorist attacks and directed security forces to augment their vigil. The Army on Monday said it has received inputs that terrorists might try to disrupt the Yatra.
The security arrangements for the Yatra also came up for a detailed review at the Unified Headquarters meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar.
Last year, an estimated 6.2 lakh pilgrims had a glimpse of the ice stalagmite structure inside the cave which devotees believe symbolizes the mythological powers of Lord Shiva.
