After scrapping of Article 370 from J&K, Centre move 8,000 additional CRPF troops to the state (File)
At least 8,000 paramilitary troops have been airlifted to Jammu and Kashmir from different parts of the country today after the centre announced it would scrap Article 370 from the state, which confers special status.
C-17 transport planes of the Indian Air Force are bringing the troops to Srinagar, sources said. They are in addition to the over 30,000 troops that were brought into the state over the past week.
All security forces formations in the country, specifically in Jammu and Kashmir, are on "high alert", officials said today. The Home Ministry has told the Central Armed Police Forces and central security agencies to take "necessary precautions" and step up protection of their campuses and movements by issuing specific advisories, news agency PTI reported.
"An advisory for remaining on a high alert mode has been issued to all the security forces across the country, especially for their units based in Jammu and Kashmir," said a senior officer.
The heavy deployment of troops is to strengthen security across Jammu and Kashmir as the issue of special status is an emotive one, sources said. Thousands of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims and tourists are already on their way home after the pilgrimage was abruptly cancelled by the government last week.
Article 370 gives Jammu and Kashmir its own constitution and decision-making rights for all matters barring defence, communications and foreign affairs. The removal of this part of the constitution ends special status for Kashmir, which was key to its accession to India in 1947.
The government has also said it wants parliament to clear a proposal that bifurcates the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories which are effectively semi-states. Jammu and Kashmir would be one union territory with its own legislature, like Delhi; Ladakh would be the other but without its own assembly.
The government maintains that the massive troop build-up was in response to a high level of terror threat in the state.
Intelligence sources said terrorists have made multiple attempts over three days - from July 29 to July 31 to cross the Line of Control and around four to five of them have succeeded. The plan was to carry out a terror strike on Amarnath pilgrims, similar to the February attack in Pulwama and four to five of them managed to infiltrate into India, sources said.
Sources also said under the circumstances, it was untenable to allow the pilgrims to continue.