Security forces have revised their Amarnath Yatra SOPs over “sticky bomb” threat.
The security forces are concerned about the possible use of “sticky bombs” during the Amarnath Yatra, scheduled to begin on June 30 in Jammu and Kashmir. The soldiers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which will be deployed along the route of the pilgrimage, are being sensitised about the threat.
CRPF Deputy Inspector General (Hiranagar Range), Devender Yadav, said that alertness is the key to deal with the threat of “sticky bombs”.
What are “sticky bombs”?
These are very small in size and usually magnetic in nature. These bombs can be attached on vehicles and detonated using a timer and a remotely-held device, hence the name “sticky bombs”.
“There is no way but alertness to deal with the problem. In our area of responsibility, security deployments will be put on alert and jawans will be sensitised about the threat,” CRPF officials Devender Yadav said, while speaking to reporters last month.
How did security forces find out about “sticky bombs”?
According to a report in news agency PTI, a drone flying in from Pakistan developed a technical snag and was recently spotted by people in Kathua. Later, the police recovered arms and ammunition, including seven magnetic bombs or “sticky bombs”, from the place.
Concerned over the development, the security agencies reworked their strategy, especially keeping in mind the Amarnath Yatra.
Instructions have been issued to the security forces as well as those managing the pilgrimage not to leave vehicles unattended, the PTI report further said.
When were these bombs first used?
The earliest known use of these “sticky bombs” was during the Second World War by the British. According to Imperial War Museum (IWM), that bomb resembled a grenade – a spherical glass flask containing a filling of nitro-glycerin.
The bomb was covered with a stockinet type of material impregnated with a strong adhesive derived from birdlime. The entire assembly was then enclosed in two thin metal hemispheres that were hinged at the bottom and spring loaded, the IWM further said.
The hinged protective cover was removed before throwing the grenade, which had a five-second delay after the lever was released.
“Sticky bombs” in Jammu and Kashmir
PTI said that these bombs emerged on the terror scene in Jammu and Kashmir in February last year when these were recovered from Samba of Jammu region. It was the first such recovery of “sticky bombs”, used largely in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Three lakh pilgrims likely to take part in Amarnath Yatra
The 43-day-long pilgrimage to the Himalayan shrine is scheduled to start on June 30 from the twin routes – the traditional 48-km Nunwan in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam and 14-km shorter Baltal in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal – after a gap of two years due Covid pandemic.
About three lakh pilgrims are likely to take part in the pilgrimage, which expected to end on August 11.
According to CRPF, vehicles of pilgrims as well as security forces will be secluded during the movement and thoroughly checked.