Sanjukta Parashar Becomes First Woman IG to Head CRPF’s CoBRA

Sanjukta Parashar becomes CoBRA's first female IG.

• Senior IPS officer Sanjukta Parashar has taken charge as the Inspector General (IG) of the CoBRA unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). 
• She has become the first woman officer to head CoBRA, a specialised CRPF force trained for jungle warfare and counter-insurgency operations. 
• Parashar is a 2006-batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre and has experience in counter-insurgency, field policing and national-security investigations. 
• She succeeded 1996-batch IPS officer Danesh Rana as IG, CoBRA. 
• CoBRA stands for Commando Battalion for Resolute Action. 
• CoBRA is a specialised operational formation of the CRPF, consisting of 10 battalions, trained for high-risk operations in forest and guerrilla-warfare environments. 
• Its major operational capabilities include: 
  • Long-range patrolling. 
  • Intelligence-based operations. 
  • Ambush and counter-ambush operations. 
  • Operations in difficult forest and hilly terrain. 
  • Countering threats involving Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). 
• CoBRA has been extensively deployed in Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)/anti-Maoist operations, particularly in areas of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Maharashtra. 
• CoBRA units have also been deployed in Manipur amid continuing armed and ethnic violence. 
• Parashar gained recognition for her counter-insurgency work in Assam, which led to her being popularly referred to as the “Iron Lady of Assam.” 
• Other women officers holding senior CRPF positions include Vijaya Laxmi, Nitu D. Bhattacharya, Kavita Jalan and Archana Shivhare. 

• Seema Dhundia, among the first batch of women officers inducted into the CRPF in 1987, heads the Rapid Action Force (RAF). 

   

PRELIMS MCQ

Q. With reference to CoBRA and Sanjukta Parashar, consider the following statements: 

1. CoBRA is a specialised operational formation of the CRPF primarily trained for jungle and guerrilla warfare. 
2. CoBRA's operational roles include intelligence-based operations, ambushes and counter-ambushes. 
3. Sanjukta Parashar became the first woman officer to head CoBRA after serving in the National Investigation Agency. 
4. CoBRA is an independent force under the Ministry of Defence and is separate from the Central Armed Police Forces. 

Which of the statements given above are correct? 

(a) 1 and 2 only 

(b) 1, 2 and 3 only 

(c) 2, 3 and 4 only 

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4 

Answer: (b) 1, 2 and 3 only 

Explanation: 

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. CoBRA is a specialised CRPF formation trained in jungle and guerrilla warfare, including intelligence-based operations, ambush and counter-ambush missions. Sanjukta Parashar became its first woman IG and had previously served in the NIA. 

Statement 4 is incorrect because CoBRA is a specialised unit within the CRPF, which is under the Ministry of Home Affairs, not an independent Ministry of Defence force.