Manipur violence: CRPF revises SOP for 22,000 personnel deployed

After recent deadly ambushes on Assam Rifles, the CRPF has revised its SOP for personnel in Manipur. The new directive mandates the use of only bulletproof vehicles for all movements to ensure the safety of its nearly 22,000 deployed troops.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has issued a revised Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) for its personnel deployed in Manipur, considering recent ambushes on Assam Rifles' troops in the state facing ethnic violence since 2023 and its bordering Nagaland, directing them to "move around in only bulletproof vehicles and avoid stray movements".

The SOP is equally enforced on 200 CRPF companies (nearly 20,000) personnel as well as its recently deployed two elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) units having approximately 2,000 personnel, in the wake of the safety of the force personnel during their movements in Manipur as well as their operational activities across the state.

With its CoBRA battalions, around 200 CRPF companies-- the highest among all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)-- nearly 100 Border Security Force (BSF) companies, five Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) companies and six Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) companies are currently deployed across Manipur.

Revised SOP Follows Recent Attacks

The changed SOP is significant amid heightened security concerns following the killing of two Assam Rifles personnel in an ambush in Ukhrul district in Assam on July 6, and the killing of one Assam Rifles personnel on July 13 in a suspected IED blast in Chumoukedima district of Nagaland. Four others were injured in the latter incident. A violent mob attack on an Assam Rifles camp in Senapati town in Manipur on the night of July 14. The mob torched vehicles and vandalised property after an anti-insurgency operation near the Oklong area against suspected armed cadres.

"Our personnel (deployed in Manipur) have been advised to use only bulletproof vehicles and avoid stray movements during their operational and administrative duties across Manipur," an official close to the security wing told ANI when asked about the changes after recent attacks on Assam Rifles. Nearly 100 Marksman vehicles, India's first indigenous capsule-based light bulletproof vehicles, have been sent to Manipur in recent months. These vehicles are designed for urban combat, patrol, and convoy protection. It provides up to Level B6 ballistic protection, shielding occupants from assault rifle fire, underbelly grenades, and mine blasts.

CoBRA Battalions Deployed for Operations

Besides the fresh SOP set by the CRPF for its personnel in Manipur, the force has assigned its two newly deployed CoBRA battalions to "begin operations against armed miscreants" in Manipur as part of the Centre's efforts to strengthen security and restore lasting peace in the violence-hit state.

After the declaration of Naxal-free India at the end of March this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had moved the two CoBRA battalions--207 Battalion based in West Bengal and 210 Battalion based in Assam--to undertake specific operations against armed groups involved in violence in the state.

Key Priorities for CoBRA Units

Comprising around 2,000 commandos, the specialised jungle warfare units will operate from designated hubs and respond to incidents or undertake operations on the requisition of the Manipur Police, the official said. He said, "seizure of illegal arms and ammunition, demolition of bunkers used by armed groups, identification of ambush points and area domination will be among the key priorities of the operations of the CoBRA units."

The commandos have completed three weeks of pre-induction operational training followed by a week-long familiarisation programme before being sent for operational duties in Manipur. Besides conducting counter-insurgency operations, the CoBRA battalions will also assist the state administration and other central armed police forces in restoring normalcy. The CoBRA units will also move in bulletproof vehicles and follow revised SOPs, with particular emphasis on avoiding unnecessary exposure and stray movement during operations.

Jungle Warfare Specialists for Rugged Terrain

Officials said the Centre decided to deploy the specialised CoBRA units in the Northeast after Left Wing Extremism (LWE) or Naxal was significantly curbed across central and eastern India.

Trained in jungle warfare and guerrilla tactics, the CoBRA commandos are expected to play a crucial role in operations in Manipur's rugged and forested terrain. The CoBRA force was raised by the CRPF in 2008-09 to combat Left Wing Extremism and insurgency. The specialised force has earned recognition for its intelligence-based jungle warfare operations that contributed significantly to weakening Maoist violence in the country.

The deployment of CoBRA and CRPF with other CAPFs in Manipur is part of ongoing efforts by the Central government and the Manipur administration to restore lasting peace in the state, where ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities since May 2023 has claimed more than 260 lives and displaced thousands of people. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)