Photo Courtesy: nenow
Imphal: Manipur officials want 3,000 more central paramilitary personnel to boost security. They filed a request with the Union Home Ministry for 30 additional companies of Central Armed Police Forces. This includes units from the Rapid Action Force and specialized CoBRA teams. The state already hosts roughly 300 companies, or 30,000 personnel. It is a massive force.
Official sources say the Ministry of Home Affairs is still reviewing the request. Resources are thin. Earlier this year, the center pulled 8,500 personnel out of the state to cover elections in West Bengal. Security sources claim the reinforcements are needed to plug operational holes. CoBRA teams will patrol rough terrain while RAF units manage riots.
Violence persists in the region. Two CoBRA battalions arrived in June 2026 under the Mission Manipur task force, but fighting continues. A July 6 ambush in Ukhrul killed two Assam Rifles personnel. The CRPF responded by tightening security rules. Commanders must now use bulletproof vehicles and sanitize routes before movement. The CRPF stated, "CoBRA units have also been assigned law-and-order duties in addition to jungle warfare."
Ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities sparked in May 2023. At least 310 people have died. Another 49 remain missing. Tens of thousands are displaced. Buffer zones and road blocks failed to stop the killing. Tensions between Kuki-Zo and Naga groups have further destabilized the hill areas throughout 2026.
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