Following a terror attack on the Amarnath yatra pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, security has been beefed up for the month-long Kanwar yatra in Uttar Pradesh.
In fact, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath held a high-level meeting at around midnight wherein he scrutinised the security plan that is already in place. He also directed the officials to deck up their intelligence network to avoid all terror activities.
Adityanath has also asked the principal secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar and director general of police Sulkhan Singh to monitor the situation personally and oversee security arrangements.
According to IANS, an official was quoted as saying that the vigil has been stepped up for the ongoing Kanwar yatra as it involves hundreds of thousands of devotees in open areas.
"Security is already very tight for the Kanwar yatra and now following the Amarnath incident it has been further beefed up," the home department official added.
The police have said that districts which have witnessed communal violence in the past have also been put on high alert.
Meanwhile, the Adityanath government has asked the pilgrims to carry valid ID cards — voter cards, driving license or Aadhaar — to undergo hassle-free routine checking. Also, the 'kanwariyas' were asked to avoid diverting their routes which can lead to communal violence.
Prohibitory orders under section 144 (unlawful assemblies) have also been clamped in all districts and towns in the route of the yatra. An India Today report has also said that drones have been deployed to monitor the yatra to avert any terror attack.
The terror attack in Amarnath killed at least seven pilgrims and left 15 others injured.
