Centre to deploy CoBRA units in Manipur before monsoon

Guwahati: Centre is set to launch its biggest security push in Manipur, spearheaded by two units of the CRPF’s elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) — commandos credited with making Bastar a naxal free area — likely before the onset of the monsoon.State home minister Govindas Konthoujam on Friday told the media that “there will be some development in two to three days”.The CRPF director general GP Singh on Friday met Manipur governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to discuss operational preparedness, strategic planning, and “the @crpfindia’s comprehensive roadmap to eliminate insurgency and restore lasting peace in Manipur”.The CRPF DG is on a three‑day operational tour of the state’s troubled areas from Thursday.“From the beginning, we have been saying that strong action will be taken against extremist elements in all areas — both in the hills and the valley — and home minister Amit Shah has issued orders. Very soon, action will begin. I cannot give an exact date,” minister Konthoujam said.According to security sources, the 210 Bn CoBRA, earlier stationed in Bastar’s Bijapur district and winner of the Best Operation Battalion Trophy 2025 for eliminating 95 hardcore Maoists, along with the 207 Bn CoBRA, also deployed in anti-Maoist operations, was being rushed to the state for deployment.Apart from the CRPF, several other CAPFs — including BSF and ITBP — are already deployed across Manipur, though their roles remain largely confined to protecting buffer zones between Meitei and Kuki‑inhabited areas. These zones have become fragile dividing lines preventing direct clashes. The Assam Rifles, besides maintaining internal security, also guards the largely open India‑Myanmar border.Manipur’s fragile peace has further fractured in recent months following the Litan incident — a drunken brawl in Ukhrul district on Feb 7, when a Tangkhul Naga youth was assaulted by Kuki youths. What began as a minor altercation spiralled into arson and retaliatory violence, drawing the Naga community into the ethnic unrest that began in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki communities. With the Naga now pitted against the Kuki, all three major ethnic groups — Meitei, Kuki, and Naga — are now entangled in the conflict.The past two months of Naga‑Kuki clashes saw villages burned and attacks culminating in the killing of three church leaders of the Thadou Baptist Association India, which triggered a wave of civilian kidnappings by armed groups from both sides on May 13. Several hostages have since been released, but 14 Kuki and six Naga people remain captive.On Friday, Singh met Manipur CM Y Khemchand Singh, who wrote on social media that they discussed ways to strengthen security and uphold public trust.“Appreciated the invaluable contribution of the CRPF in maintaining peace and law and order in the state. The Manipur government remains committed to strengthening security, upholding public trust, and fostering harmony among all communities,” the CM wrote.On Thursday, the CRPF DG visited Gelmol in Bishnupur district and Churachandpur, where he held meetings with formations at Tuibong.“From reviewing critical infrastructure to a vital ‘Samvad’ with the troops, the focus remains absolute: operational readiness, health, and welfare. He also told the troopers to give their best to maintain normalcy in their area of responsibility,” CRPF posted on X.Earlier on Friday, Singh visited units deployed at Litan in Ukhrul district, inhabited primarily by Tangkhul Nagas, where he interacted with troops, assessed camp security and infrastructure, and discussed operational challenges on the ground.With the state scheduled to go to polls in March 2027, the urgency for the Centre to restore law and order has intensified. The SIR of rolls is underway, but the humanitarian crisis persists — nearly 50,000 people displaced by the ethnic conflict remain homeless, living in relief camps across Manipur and neighbouring Mizoram.