In the aftermath of Pahalgam attack, grounded Dhruv helicopters resume flying in the Anantnag area
Underscoring the critical shortage of helicopters faced by the armed forces since the grounding of the entire fleet of indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) following a crash in January, the ALH resumed flying in the Anantnag area in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
The ground commander executing the operation has been given permission by the Union Defence Ministry to use ALHs based on requirement, defence sources said on Wednesday.
A Dhruv ALH-MkIII of the Indian Coast Guard crashed at Porbandar in Gujarat on January 5, killing three personnel on board, including the two pilots and one air crew diver. Following this, the entire fleet of over 300 ALHs with the three services and Coast Guard were grounded for safety checks, and their flying was yet to resume, significantly hampering operations.
On the situation in Kashmir, defence sources said around 125-130 terrorists were estimated to be active, of which almost 115-120 were Pakistani nationals. The intent of the attack appears to have been to disrupt the normalcy and peace that has settled in the region since the abrogation of Article 370, one defence source said, citing the number of tourists and pilgrims for the Amarnath Yatra in the past two years.
Sources in the know said that the lack of specific intelligence was the biggest lapse. One source said that a general alert of a possible threat was issued two weeks ago, and the focus was on the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, which has faced threats in the past, but there was no indication of a possible attack in Pahalgam. In addition, sources said there were no security personnel in around ten locations near the incident, and there was a lack of electronic surveillance in tourist areas.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
12 hours ago
- India Gazette
J-K DGP chairs review meeting for Amarnath Yatra
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 13 (ANI): Director General of Police (DGP), Jammu and Kashmir, Nalin Prabhat, chaired a high-level review meeting regarding the administrative and logistical preparations for the incoming Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) companies to be deployed for the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra, 2025. According to a press release by Jammu and Kashmir Police, the meeting, held at the Police Control Room in Kashmir, was attended by senior officers from the Police, CRPF, ITBP, Telecommunication, SDRF, BSF, SSB, and other allied agencies. The meeting was attended by Special DGP (Coordination) J&K S.J.M. Gillani, IPS; ADG CRPF J&K Rajesh Kumar, IPS; ADGP Headquarters J&K M.K. Sinha, IPS; ADGP Armed J&K Anand Jain, IPS; JD SIB J&K/L; IG BSF Frontier HQ Kashmir; IG CRPF KOS; IGP Kashmir Zone; IGP (POS) PHQ J&K IGP Security J&K IGP Traffic J&K DIGs of CKR and SKR; DIG Personnel PHQ; DIG SSB Srinagar; DIG Armed Kashmir; DIG Traffic Kashmir; DIG ITBP Srinagar; DIG CRPF; SSP Srinagar; SSP PCR Kashmir; SSP Anantnag; SSP Ganderbal; SSP SDRF Kashmir; SSP APCR Kashmir; SP Telecom Kashmir; SP PC Srinagar; and virtually attended by IGP Jammu Zone; IG CRPF Jammu; IG BSF Jammu; DIG SSB Jammu; DIG CISF Jammu; and all Yatra district SSPs of Kashmir Zone. As per the press release, at the outset, the Zonal IGPs briefed the DGP on the status of CAPF induction in both zones. The officers also briefed the chair regarding the administrative & logistical arrangements made for the incoming CAPF companies. The coordinating officers of the CAPF shared their feedback on the administrative arrangements at various camping sites and transit locations. The senior officers of CAPF also expressed their satisfaction with the administrative and transportation arrangements for the inducted coys. The DGP issued directives for the smooth induction of CAPF companies and emphasised that district heads should ensure proper arrangements for incoming units and their efficient ground deployment. He further stressed the need for a high level of coordination among all forces and instructed that an effective inter-agency coordination mechanism be established. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to ensure the safe and successful conduct of the Amarnath Yatra. (ANI)
Hans India
13 hours ago
- Hans India
Rly hauled up for providing filthy train to BSF: 4 officials axed
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday suspended four officials and ordered an inquiry after the BSF accused the railways of providing a filthy, rickety and unhygienic 'special' train from Tripura to transport around 1,200 troops to be deployed in Jammu and Kashmir for the Amarnath Yatra. Sources at the BSF headquarters in Delhi said jawans of the paramilitary force were shocked to see the poor condition of the coaches, which were 'full of cockroaches, broken seats and windows and dirty toilets with no water and strewn with human excreta'. Videos of the rundown and filthy train, shot by some BSF jawans, went viral on social media, triggering outrage over the treatment of security forces, as many online users took potshots at the Narendra Modi dispensation that swears by national security and soldiers. 'It was so shameful that the railways provided a special train with horrible conditions inside. Apparently, the train was not used for months. The jawans would have fallen sick had they travelled in it. Our top brass took up the matter with senior railway officials and asked them to provide a better train, or the troops would not travel,' said a BSF official. The troops were part of the central force reinforcements being sent to Jammu and Kashmir to boost security for the annual Amarnath Yatra scheduled from July 3 in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. Sources said around 1,200 BSF troops, drawn from 13 companies, were scheduled to board a special train on June 6 for Jammu Tawi from Udaipur in Tripura. The train was supposed to make a few stops in between for more troops to board from Assam and Bengal. 'The train was, however, made available three days later (June 9) even though the jawans were supposed to be deployed by June 12 as per the directions of the Union home ministry. When some troops entered the train, they were shocked to see the horrific condition inside. It was filthy, full of cockroaches, with broken seats and windows and dirty toilets strewn with human excreta. There was no water inside the washroom,' said the BSF official.
The Print
a day ago
- The Print
J-K Police chief reviews arrangements for paramilitary forces to be deployed for Amarnath Yatra
At the outset, the Zonal IGPs briefed the DGP on the status of CAPF induction of both the zones, he said. The meeting, held at the Police Control Room here, was attended by senior officers from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, CRPF, ITBP, Telecommunication, SDRF, BSF, SSB, and other allied agencies, a police spokesperson said. Srinagar, Jun 12 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting to review the administrative and logistical preparations for the incoming companies of paramilitary forces to be deployed for the Amarnath Yatra. The officers also briefed the chair regarding the administrative and logistical arrangements made for the incoming CAPF companies, he said. The coordinating officers of the CAPF shared their feedback on the administrative arrangements at various camping sites and transit locations. The senior officers of CAPF also expressed their satisfaction with the administrative and transportation arrangements for the inducted companies, the spokesperson said. He said the DGP issued directives for the smooth induction of CAPF companies and emphasised that district heads should ensure proper arrangements for incoming units and their efficient ground deployment. Prabhat stressed the need for a high level of coordination among all forces and instructed that an effective inter-agency coordination mechanism be established. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to ensure the safe and successful conduct of the yatra, which begins on July 3, the spokesperson added. PTI SSB RHL This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
