With the Amarnath Yatra set to commence next week, the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police has issued an advisory for pilgrims, urging them to avoid independent travel. In a post on X, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu Zone, asked the Amarnath pilgrims to join only the official convoys for a safe and secure journey. He also urged the pilgrims to travel only in escorted convoys and avoid independent movement. The advisory came hours before an encounter broke out between security forces and militants on Thursday morning at Basantgarh in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district. The Army’s White Knight Corps said in a post on social media that Operation Bihali is underway. “Based on specific intelligence, a joint operation was launched by the Indian Army and Jammu & Kashmir Police in Bihali area of Basantgarh. Contact has been established with terrorists. The operation is in progress,” it said. Also Read: No Helicopters For Amarnath Yatra, Air India Cuts International Flights: All The Air Disruptions You Need To Know About Security tightened along Amarnath Yatra route To tighten security, the Jammu and Kashmir Police have mounted facial recognition systems (FRS) along the Pahalgam route of Amarnath Yatra after the deadly attack earlier this year, PTI reported. The facial recognition system will help the security agencies fend off any terror attacks against the pilgrims. Efforts are on to install similar systems on the shorter Baltal route before the annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine to south Kashmir Himalayas starts on July 3, the report added. “The Amarnath Yatra has been a target for the terrorists in the past as well. It has become necessary to make fool-proof security arrangements for the pilgrimage as lakhs of pilgrims visit the holy cave every year,” an official told the news agency. Also Read: Facial Recognition Systems Mounted Along Amarnath Yatra Route After Pahalgam Attack: How Will It Benefit? The Amarnath Yatra will start on July 3 and will culminate on August 9 to coincide with Raksha Bandhan. The duration of the yatra has been reduced to 38 days this year against 52 days last year. Undeterred by the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, more than three lakh pilgrims have already registered for this year’s yatra. (With PTI inputs)