About Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA):
- It is a specialized force which has been raised for guerilla/jungle warfare type operations for dealing with Maoist and therefore also known as ‘jungle warriors’.
- Personnel for CoBRA are selected from CRPF as CoBRA is integral part of CRPF.
- They undergo rigorous commando & jungle warfare training before being posted to CoBRA BNs for anti-Naxal operations.
- In all there are 10 CoBRA Units Raised between 2008-2011.Most of its 10 battalions are deployed for anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand apart from some units tasked for counter-insurgency operations in the northeastern part of the country.
What is the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)?
- It is the premier central police force of the Union of India for internal security.
- It functions under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India.
- History of CRPF:
- Originally constituted as the Crown Representative Police in 1939, it is one of the oldest Central para military forces (now termed as Central Armed Police Force).
- CRPF was raised as a sequel to the political unrest and the agitations in the then princely States of India following the Madras Resolution of the All-India Congress Committee in 1936 and the ever-growing desire of the Crown Representative to help the vast majority of the native States to preserve law and order as a part of the imperial policy.
- It became the Central Reserve Police Force on enactment of the CRPF Act on 28th December 1949.
- Duties performed by the CRPF are
- Crowd control, Riot control
- Counter Militancy / Insurgency operations, Dealing with Left Wing Extremism
- Overall co-ordination of large-scale security arrangement specially with regard to elections in disturbed areas.
- Protection of VIPs and vital installations.
- Checking environmental de-gradation and protection of local Flora and Fauna
- Fighting aggression during War time
- Participating in UN Peace Keeping Mission
- Rescue and Relief operations at the time of Natural Calamities.
