CoBRA battalions to be deployed in Manipur: CRPF DG

Guwahati: GP Singh, Director General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), said CoBRA battalions were being deployed in Manipur at the directions of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). They are undergoing pre-induction and familiarisation training after which they would be deployed as per operational requirements.

The Centre has ordered deployment of two battalions of the CRPF's jungle warfare unit CoBRA for operational duties in Manipur. Singh was on a three-day visit to Manipur recently. When asked if there will be a relook on the CRPF deployed in Manipur after deployment of the CoBRA battalion, Singh told ET that the deployment is constantly calibrated in accordance with requirement.

Manipur has several battalions of CRPF and the force has by and large remained non-controversial. Some communities have often alleged it of taking sides.


Violence in Manipur has been unceasing, and the state is currently caught in a hostage crisis. Manipur home minister K Govindas Konthoujam said on Friday, "If negotiation fails, action will begin. You will see major development in two to three days. We will take strict action on militants."

GP Singh is an IPS Officer of the 1991-batch who was part of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. On January 31, 2023, he was appointed as Director General of Police, Assam. On January 27, 2025, Singh became Director General (DG level) of CRPF. Singh, also called 'Gun Point Singh' for his tough approach against insurgents, was posted in Jorhat district in the 1990s. At the height of Citizenship Amendment Act protests in Assam, he was appointed ADGP (Law and Order) of Assam in 2019.