CoBRA battalions get gender-sensitised before posting in Manipur

The specialised CRPF CoBRA units were trained in gender sensitisation and crowd management before their first deployment outside anti-Naxal operations.

Two specialised CRPF CoBRA battalions had received training in gender sensitisation and managing women protesters before their May deployment to Manipur, where women blocking roads to impede army and security-force movements has become common in the Kuki–Meitei and Kuki–Naga conflicts, officials familiar with the matter said.

CRPF personnel during an operation. Two CoBRA battalions were deployed in Manipur after receiving specialised training in gender sensitisation and crowd management. (PTI/ Representative)

The two CoBRA battalions trained in guerrilla warfare and deployed exclusively in anti-Naxal operations until now, were moved to Manipur in May 2026 for counter-insurgency duties after the government declared India free of Naxalism on March 31. This is the first time that CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) units have been deployed outside the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) theatre. Officials said the government could deploy additional battalions depending on how the security situation in the state evolves. One battalion has around 1,000 commandos.

An official aware of the matter, who asked not to be named, said, “One major feature of the training focused on dealing with situations when protesters, especially women, block roads and do not allow security forces to work...The training was held in Manipur and Assam.”

“The training is required to ensure there is no collateral damage or controversy, especially when the forces are conducting specific targeted counter-insurgency operations,” added the official.

In the last three years, women protesters in both hills and districts have often blocked roads and forced security forces to release detained insurgents.

Over 100 QRT vehicles for security personnel

Meanwhile, a second official said that in the last two months, the government brought over 100 bulletproof QRT (quick response team) vehicles in Manipur. “The 100 Mahindra Marksman bulletproof vehicles were being used extensively in anti-insurgency operations across the state. Personnel are directed to move around only in these vehicles,” an official said.

CRPF top brass have directed personnel on the ground to strictly adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) while moving in Manipur.