New Delhi: The Centre has ordered deployment of two battalions of the CRPF's jungle warfare unit CoBRA for operational duties in Manipur, official sources said on Sunday.
The state administration and the Union government have been working to bring long-lasting peace in Manipur as more than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023.
Officials said that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved a proposal of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to deploy two CoBRA battalions in Manipur-- battalion no 207 based in West Bengal and 210 located in Assam-- for operational duties.
"The two CoBRA battalions will undertake specific operations against the armed groups that undertake violence in Manipur," a senior security officer said, adding the earmarked units will move in the state over the next few weeks.