MHA rushes CoBRA battalion, 5 ITBP companies to Manipur; Jiribam first

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has ordered fresh central forces into Manipur, moving a specialised jungle-warfare unit of the CRPF out of anti-Maoist operations to reinforce security in the state.

The deployment covers the 205 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), which was based in Gaya in Bihar, and five companies of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Together they add more than 1,000 personnel to the forces already in the state, according to reports citing security sources. The order followed a high-level security review meeting held by the ministry.

Jiribam and NH-37 first

Advance teams of the CoBRA battalion have already reached Manipur and have been positioned in Jiribam district on the Manipur-Assam border. Their first task is to secure National Highway 37, the Imphal-Jiribam-Silchar road that serves as one of the valley's two main supply lines. Keeping traffic moving on this stretch has been a priority whenever blockades or attacks have cut off supplies to Imphal.

This is the third CoBRA battalion to be sent to Manipur. Two others were deployed earlier after violence intensified in the state this spring.

Why CoBRA

CoBRA commandos are trained for long-range patrols, tracking and operations in dense forest, skills built up over years of counter-Maoist operations in Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The newly arrived personnel are going through pre-induction training to get used to the terrain and conditions in the Northeast before they are sent out on operations.

Officials have not said whether large-scale operations against armed groups are planned. Reports said the reinforcements come amid concerns over the security situation around Jiribam, Churachandpur and Kangpokpi.

A tense backdrop

The ethnic conflict between Meitei and Kuki-Zo groups that began in May 2023 has displaced tens of thousands of people, and friction between Naga and Kuki groups in the hill districts has added a further layer of tension.

Separately, Meitei and Naga organisations have called a rally in Imphal on Saturday, October 31, to demand action against Kuki armed groups that are part of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement. The rally was called by the Co-ordination Committee on Manipur Unity (COCOMI) and has been endorsed by the United Naga Council, which has also announced protests at district headquarters in Naga-majority areas. The UNC has demanded that the SoO pact be scrapped and that the Assam Rifles be replaced by another central force along Manipur's 398-km border with Myanmar.

At least 24 Kuki armed groups have been covered by the SoO agreement since 2008. It has not been renewed since September, after objections from the state government and from Meitei and Naga bodies.