CM Dhami orders tight vigil across Uttarakhand, calls for heightened security for Char Dham routes

Lakhs of pilgrims have registered for the ongoing Char Dham Yatra. (File photo/PTI)

Amid escalating India-Pakistan tensions, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed top officials to enforce stringent surveillance across all border regions of the state and called for enhanced security measures for the Char Dham Yatra routes.

Dhami convened a meeting with senior officials at his residence and called for “robust security in all border areas of the state and strict surveillance on any suspicious activity in frontier regions”.

According to a government statement, the CM stressed that security measures along the yatra route of all four pilgrimage sites should be activated amid the ongoing Char Dham Yatra for which lakhs of pilgrims have registered, according to a report by the Indian Express.

He added that civil defence groups and voluntary organisations should be trained in relief and rescue operations.

The directive came after a virtual meeting was chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on May 7, held in light of escalating cross-border tensions.

Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi and Chamoli share their borders with China while Champawat and Udham Singh border Nepal. Pithoragarh shares its borders with both countries.

This follows the ghastly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 civilian lives, prompting India to launch Operation Sindoor. In retaliation, Pakistan initiated shelling along the Line of Control (LoC), resulting in civilian casualties in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.