Commando Battalion for Resolute Action

Last updated

Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA)
Commando Battalion for Resolute Action.png
CoBRA Insignia
Common nameCoBRA
Motto"Saṃgrāmeṃ parākramī jyī"
"Victory for gallant in war"
Agency overview
Formed12 September, 2008 [1]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction India
Legal jurisdictionIndia
Primary governing body Central Reserve Police Force
Secondary governing body Ministry of Home Affairs (India)
Operational structure
HeadquartersDirectorate General, Central Reserve Police Force, New Delhi
Active Personnel [2] s10,000
Agency executive
Parent agencyCentral Reserve Police Force
Notables
Person
Anniversary
  • 12 September 2008
Website
crpf.gov.in

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]

Contents

Background

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.

Bases

BattalionCityGeo-Location
201 CoBRA BattalionKaranpur
202 CoBRA BattalionSunabeda, Koraput, Odisha
203 CoBRA BattalionChangsari, Assam
204 CoBRA BattalionMasgaon, Chhattisgarh
205 CoBRA BattalionBarwadih, Bihar
206 CoBRA BattalionChintapur, Maharashtra
207 CoBRA BattalionTyangrasol, West Bengal
208 CoBRA BattalionBalaghat, Madhya Pradesh
209 CoBRA BattalionRANCHI, Jharkhand
210 CoBRA BattalionDalgaon, Assam
88 Mahila Battalion

Firearms and equipment

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]

Small arms

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

Training

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]

Major operations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Reserve Police Force</span> Federal police force in India

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communist Party of India (Maoist)</span> Maoist political party and militant group in India

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salwa Judum</span> Former anti-insurgency militia in India

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naxalite–Maoist insurgency</span> Armed conflict in India between the state and Maoists

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greyhounds (police)</span> Tactical police units in India

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chhattisgarh Police</span> State Police force in India

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Armed Police Forces</span> Central police forces of India

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.

The Sukma attack was an ambush carried out by the Communist Party of India (Maoist) against Indian paramilitary forces on 24 April 2017, during the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency. It was the largest ambush since a similar attack in 2010, in the neighbouring district of Dantewada.

On 13 March 2018, at least nine Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and six others were injured when Maoists blew up a mine-protected vehicle with an IED in Sukma district, Chhattisgarh, India.

Madvi Hidma is the youngest member of the Central Committee of Communist Party of India (Maoist). Hidma is allegedly responsible for various attacks on the security forces in Chhattisgarh, and the 2013 Naxal attack in Darbha valley. A bounty has been placed for his capture.

The 2021 Sukma-Bijapur attack was an ambush carried out by the Naxalite-Maoist insurgents from the Communist Party of India (Maoist) against Indian security forces on 3 April 2021 at Sukma-Bijapur border near Jonaguda village which falls under Jagargunda police station area in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, leading to the killing of 22 security personnel and 9 Naxalites. The death toll was the worst for Indian security forces fighting the Naxalites since 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "CRPF - CENTRAL RESERVE POLICE FORCE, GOVT. OF INDIA". Archived from the original on 15 May 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  2. "The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) - Frontpage - COBRA on way to fight Naxalites in Jharkhand". Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  3. "About Sector | CoBRA Sector | Central Reserve Police Force, Government of India". crpf.gov.in. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  4. Dholabhai, Nishit (7 September 2008) "COBRA on way to fight Naxalites in Jharkhand" The Telegraph , retrieved 19 June 2009
  5. Indian COBRA Troops to Take on Maoist Insurgents [ dead link ]Defence News
  6. 1 2 3 Mund, Prasenjit; Mandal Caesar (19 June 2009). "Shadow warriors:Guerrillas wary of Cobra strike". The Times of India. Kolkata: 2.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "CRPF Maintaining Peace in Nation" . Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  8. "Cobra forces are burdened by law, naxals are not". The Week. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  9. Times of India (6 October 2012)"All-out war against PLFI before puja"
  10. "Expenditure Profile - 2022-23, Ministry of Finance, Budget Division" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs (India). February 2022.
  11. "Indian Ordnance Factories: Weapons" . Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  12. "Indian Ordnance Factories: OFB in Brief" . Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  13. "Press Information Bureau English Releases" . Retrieved 27 March 2015.