KATRA: The Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Udhampur-Reasi Range Mohd Suleman Choudhary conducted a security review and operational preparedness meeting of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine on Saturday at Katra, the base camp of Yatra. The meeting was attended by SSP Reasi, Commandant CRPF 06 Bn, SP Katra, Jt CEO Shrine Board, SDPO Katra, and Dysp Bhawan Officers from the Special Branch, Army, CID, Traffic, Railway and District Special Branch. DIG UR took a detailed briefing from every officer present in the meeting regarding their preparation for better crowd management and security arrangements during the yatra. The officer also reviewed each and every security drill at the SMVD Shrine, the yatra route, and the safety and security of pilgrims visiting to pay obeisance to the shrine on a daily basis. The Deputy Inspector General of Police was further directed to conduct a joint security drill with CAPF for the security of the shrine and mentioned it as the top priority of the police in the jurisdiction. DIG UR Choudhary further stressed upon verification and census of migrants and workers in and around Katra town, pony porters and others in the towns to check the entry of any suspicious element in the area. He further directed the checking of the hotels and other residential accommodations on a random basis for the verification of the character antecedents of the person visiting there. The officer also reviewed the attempts to revive the militancy in parts of district Reasi and directed all concerned officers to revisit the list of OGW’s of the police stations and monitor social media to curb the new pattern of radicalization. The officer especially stressed upon the safety and security of huge numbers of pilgrims going to visit the shrine on December 31st in view of new year and directed the officers and officials to work with cooperation and coordination to avoid any untoward incidents. The meeting ended with a note on coordination and cooperation between all the security forces deployed for the security of the shrine.
