Pilgrims must be cautious too

The attack on the Amarnath yatra pilgrims on the evening of July 10 near Batengoo in Anantnag on the Srinagar-Jammu highway killing seven of them was not only a sad and unfortunate incident but also something that could have been safely averted.

In the light of secret intelligence reports sent by Munir Khan, Inspector General of Police to the army and other security agencies operating in the Valley, that got leaked out to the media, the need for extra precautions should have been realised by the pilgrims and the private operators of such trips.

When there were definite intelligence inputs that the militants had plans to attack and kill over a hundred policemen and about 150 pilgrims during the Amarnath yatra, there was no reason for the ill-fated bus to undertake a journey to Jammu after dusk. The 7 pm deadline should have been strictly adhered to.

From the available information, the pilgrims had, after visiting the Amarnath cave, returned to Srinagar to go sight-seeing and left the place in the evening. They could have been stopped from proceeding to Jammu and asked to return to the city and leave in the morning. But the security forces seem to have missed out on this.

To add to their woes, the tyres of the bus went flat not just resulting in further delay but also giving the militants ample time to prepare and strike at an opportune moment at a place of their choice from where they could make good their escape. No sooner the tyres were fixed and left the workshop, the militants were all set to attack the bus.

The security drill and the arrangements this time were made so stringent that an attack on the pilgrims would have been almost impossible. The deployment of paramilitary forces — largely the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) all along the route to Amarnath cave both from the Pahalgam and the Baltal axis and in the camps enroute coupled with area domination by the army — should have left no loopholes for the militants to draw any advantage. But any lapse on the part of the pilgrims can prove to be disastrous as had happened in Anantnag.

While some in the media lay the blame of security lapse squarely on the CRPF, which is largely responsible for the entire security right from Jammu to Amarnath cave, the serious lapse on the part of the pilgrims seems to have gone unnoticed. Rightly has the Director General of CRPF R R Bhatnagar denied any security lapse.

The state and the central government have done their utmost by pooling in all their resources to make the devout pilgrims feel safe. The CRPF, which was to celebrate its 78th anniversary on July 27 this year with the usual ceremonial march past, has scaled it down to a simple investiture ceremony which will be held in a hall in New Delhi. This was done to deploy the maximum available strength in the valley for the Amarnath yatra.

In addition to the normal deployment of the paramilitary forces for carrying out anti-militancy operations, 214 additional companies are deployed for sanitising the route from Jammu to the cave and around the camps apart from escorting the vehicles plying on the routes with the pilgrims.

Each company comprises of 75 personnel for operational purposes. In addition, five battalions of the army are exclusively deployed for the protection of the pilgrims.

Brochures containing the dos and don’ts are handed over to the pilgrims to take all precautionary measures for their security and health. Medical aid is provided at designated spots. Though the pilgrims are advised to get their medical check-up done before they venture out for Amarnath yatra, they still do not attach the desired seriousness to this issue.

Fake certificates

As a result, quite a number of elderly people have suffered heart attacks and died at that prohibitive height. Many who are not fit to undertake journey at high altitudes or suffer from respiratory disorders manage to get fake medical certificates which are available for the asking for a small amount and risk their lives.

While the figure of those dead due to natural causes was just 45 in 2009, it has shown steady increase with each passing year crossing the three-figure mark.

The security forces personnel do advise the pilgrims to observe all precautions. The driver or the passengers of the bus that was attacked may have been advised too. But the pilgrims usually choose to have their own way and the security forces personnel shy away from being harsh with them.

Had someone from the police or the forces along the highway advised them firmly to return to Srinagar, the mishap could have been averted. There is a need for the security forces personnel to be firm and ask all vehicles of pilgrims to be off the road after 7 pm. There can be no compromise whatsoever with security.

The fact that the tyres got punctured goes to show that they must have had worn out tyres thereby causing inconvenience to the pilgrims and also jeopardising their security.

Though there are conflicting versions about the ill-fated bus having been registered in Jammu with the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), any defect in any of the vehicles moving as a convoy under security escort delays the entire fleet of vehicles.

There is a need to ensure that all vehicles forming part of the convoy are in top fitness condition so that the convoys with escort move as per schedule and reach their destination in time.

With heightened security in place all along the route and in the camps provided by the security agencies, not much can be done if the pilgrims do not adhere to the advisories issued by the SASB and risk their lives. It is for the pilgrims to cooperate with all the agencies to ensure their own safety and security.

(The writer is IGP (rtd), CRPF)