Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) | |
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Common name | CoBRA |
Motto | "Saṃgrāmeṃ parākramī jyī" "Victory for gallant in war" |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 12 September, 2008 [1] |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | India |
Legal jurisdiction | India |
Primary governing body | Central Reserve Police Force |
Secondary governing body | Ministry of Home Affairs (India) |
Operational structure | |
Headquarters | Directorate General, Central Reserve Police Force, New Delhi |
Active Personnel [2] s | 10,000 |
Agency executive |
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Parent agency | Central Reserve Police Force |
Notables | |
Person |
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Anniversary |
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Website | |
crpf |
COBRA (backronym for COmmando Battalion for Resolute Action) is a special operation unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) of India proficient in guerrilla tactics and jungle warfare. Originally established to counter the Naxalite movement, [4] [5] CoBRA is deployed to address insurgent groups engaging in asymmetrical warfare. [6] Numbering ten battalions as of 2011, [1] CoBRA is considered to be one of the most experienced and successful law enforcement units in the country. [1]
In 2009, the MHA approved the raising of 10 CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) to meet the challenges posed by the Naxal rebels. [7] The unit was initially raised to counter the Naxal insurgents in the Red Corridor. [7] The regiment initially started off with 2 battalions, in 2009, followed by the raising of another 8 battalions in 2 years. [7]
CoBRA Battalions are trained to conduct operations against insurgents in all manners of rugged terrain. [7] The highly efficient personnel are chosen from the CRPF and are conditioned with rigorous physical endurance, and taught the planning and execution of operations, GPS and map reading, gathering of intelligence, and Fast-Roping amongst other activities. The highly efficient personnel are trained and specialized in various fields including but not limited to guerrilla warfare, explosive tracking and bomb disposal, field engineering, survival, and jungle warfare.
Special intelligence courses have been conducted by premier intelligence agencies to train troops in intelligence gathering. [7] To maintain the uniformity of standards and the evolution of a unique ethos as well as training of troops. A dedicated CoBRA school of jungle warfare & tactics is in the works. [7]
The founder of CoBRA, DIG K.V. Madhusudhanan, spoke about the CoBRA's unit's rules of engagement in an interview. "The Maoist menace is a grievance-driven movement and ideology-driven insurgency. Hence, CoBRA would require new tactical doctrines, skills and resources. While the Maoist struggle is total—no time limit or fixed geographical target—CoBRA had to operate under limitations of law. There were no drawn lines of conflict, and CoBRA had to account for every person apprehended, injured or killed. The extremists have no such liabilities." [8]
Since its inception, the unit has been successful in the taking down of 61 Naxals, and the apprehension of 886 more. They have also recovered vast amounts of ammunition dumps, along with arms and explosives. [7] The CoBRA personnel's efforts have also been acknowledged with more than 200 commendation disc(s) from the DG CRPF. [7] The valour and gallant actions of CoBRA has been recognised and the unit has been decorated with multiple Gallantry medals including -
1986 was the year when No. 88 Mahila Battalion, CRPF was raised, earning the distinction of being the first all-women battalion in the world. In 2021, 34 personnel from the hallowed ranks of the CRPF, to form an all-women CoBRA battalion.
Battalion | City | Geo-Location |
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201 CoBRA Battalion | Karanpur | |
202 CoBRA Battalion | Sunabeda, Koraput, Odisha | |
203 CoBRA Battalion | Changsari, Assam | |
204 CoBRA Battalion | Masgaon, Chhattisgarh | |
205 CoBRA Battalion | Barwadih, Bihar | |
206 CoBRA Battalion | Chintapur, Maharashtra | |
207 CoBRA Battalion | Tyangrasol, West Bengal | |
208 CoBRA Battalion | Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh | |
209 CoBRA Battalion | RANCHI, Jharkhand | |
210 CoBRA Battalion | Dalgaon, Assam | |
88 Mahila Battalion |
CoBRA is a well-equipped Central Armed Police unit in the country, [9] set up with a budget of ₹293 billion from the Central government. [10]
Most of the equipment for the Cobra is manufactured indigenously by the Indian Ordnance Factories controlled by the Ordnance Factories Board, Ministry of Defence, Government of India. [11] [12]
Some weapon like long-range sniper rifles are imported from overseas
CoBRA's are trained in the CRPF jungle warfare institutions in Belgaum and Koraput. Their training regime and duration is along the lines of other commando forces of the country such as the National Security Guard. They are trained to adapt themselves in the art of camouflage and jungle warfare with the main focus being on guerilla and jungle warfare . All personnel are trained for helicopter borne insertion and drops. Refresher courses are conducted annually and bi-annually to ensure that the unit and its personnel function as a well-oiled machine without any hijinks. Their role is to carry out reconnaissance and long range patrols, gather intelligence on the whereabouts of the insurgents, and also carry out ambushes and precision strikes when required. [6]
After three months of training in Belgaum or Koraput, CoBRA members are deployed to their respective units to counter-Naxal activities. [13]
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is a reserve gendarmerie and internal combat force in India under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. It is one among the Central Armed Police Forces. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and counter-insurgency. It is composed of Central Reserve Police Force (Regular) and Central Reserve Police Force (Auxiliary).
The Communist Party of India (Maoist) is a Marxist–Leninist–Maoist banned communist political party and militant organization in India which aims to overthrow the "semi-colonial and semi-feudal Indian state" through protracted people's war. It was founded on 21 September 2004, through the merger of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) People's War (People's War Group) and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI). The party has been designated as a terrorist organisation in India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act since 2009.
Salwa Judum was a militia that was mobilised and deployed as part of counterinsurgency operations in Chhattisgarh, India, aimed at countering Naxalite activities in the region. The militia, consisting of local tribal youth, received support and training from the Chhattisgarh state government. It was outlawed and banned by a Supreme Court court order but continues to exist in the form of armed auxiliary forces, District Reserve Groups, and other vigilante groups.
Ghatak Platoons are special operations capable reconnaissance platoons present in every infantry battalion of the Indian Army. Ghatak is a Sanskrit word meaning "killer" or "lethal". Their name was given to them by General Bipin Chandra Joshi. They act as shock troops and spearhead assaults ahead of the battalion.
The Naxalite–Maoist insurgency is an ongoing conflict between Maoist groups known as Naxalites or Naxals and the Indian government. The influence zone of the Naxalites is called the red corridor, which has been steadily declining in terms of geographical coverage and number of violent incidents, and in 2021 it was confined to the 25 "most affected" locations, accounting for 85% of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) violence, and 70 "total affected" districts across 10 states in two coal-rich, remote, forested hilly clusters in and around the Dandakaranya-Chhattisgarh-Odisha region and the tri-junction area of Jharkhand-Bihar and-West Bengal. The Naxalites have frequently targeted police and government workers in what they say is a fight for improved land rights and more jobs for neglected agricultural labourers and the poor.
Operation Lalgarh was an armed operation in India against the Maoists who have been active in organising an armed tribal movement alongside a group called the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA). The operation is organised by the police and security forces in Lalgarh, Jhargram, West Bengal to restore law and order in the area and flush out the Maoists. The area of operation is said to be expanded to 18 police stations in the three Maoist-affected districts of Paschim Medinipur, Bankura and Purulia.
This is a timeline of the 1967–present Naxalite–Maoist insurgency in eastern India.
Operation Green Hunt is the name used by the Indian media to describe the "all-out offensive by paramilitary forces and the states forces" against the Naxalites. The operation is believed to have begun in November 2009 along five states in the "Red Corridor."
The April 2010 Dantewada Maoist attack was an 6 April 2010 ambush by Naxalite-Maoist insurgents from the Communist Party of India (Maoist) near Chintalnar village in Dantewada district, Chhattisgarh, India, leading to the killing of 76 CRPF policemen and 8 Maoists — the deadliest attack by the Maoists on Indian security forces.
Greyhounds is a police special forces unit of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Police departments in India. Greyhounds specialises in counter-insurgency operations against Naxalite and Maoist terrorists.
The Chhattisgarh Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Chhattisgarh in India. The agency is administered by the Department of Home Affairs of the Government of Chhattisgarh. The force has specialized units to fight the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency in some districts of the state.
Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) is the collective name of central police organisations in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). These are technically paramilitary forces formerly known as Central Para-Military Forces (CPMF). Since 2011, India adopted the term "central armed police forces" to drop the word "paramilitary". These forces are responsible for internal security and guarding the borders.
The State Armed Police Forces of India are the police units established for dealing with serious law and order situations requiring a higher level of armed expertise than normal. The State Armed Police Forces exist in addition to the ordinary police services of the various states.
Narmada was one of the "senior-most" female cadres of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), a banned Maoist insurgent communist party in India. She was a Central Committee member of the party, and reportedly used to frame "all policies for the female cadre of Maoists."
On 25 May 2013, Naxalite insurgents of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) attacked a convoy of Indian National Congress leaders in the Jhiram Ghati, Darbha Valley in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, India. The attack caused at least 27 deaths, including that of former state minister Mahendra Karma and Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel. Vidya Charan Shukla, a senior Congress leader, succumbed to his injuries on 11 June 2013.
Kadari Satyanarayan Reddy, commonly known by his nom de guerre, Kosa, was a Central Committee member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), a banned Maoist insurgent communist party in India.
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