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.