Sanjukta Parashar Becomes First Woman to Lead CRPF CoBRA

Sanjukta Parashar, IPS officer, is now the first-ever female IPS officer to head CRPF’s Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), which is an elite jungle warfare force. As a member of the 2006-batch of IPS officers with Assam-Meghalaya cadre, Parashar has been posted in the Assam Police as well as in the National Investigation Agency (NIA). She has led some of the counter-terrorism operations for NIA. Prior to the current posting, Parashar has been in charge of the CID wing of Assam Police.

Why Sanjukta Parashar is Referred to as the ‘Iron Lady of Assam’

The term ‘Iron Lady of Assam’ came into existence because of Parashar’s involvement in the counter-operations against the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). As Sonitpur Superintendent of Police in 2013-14, Parashar led an operation against the militant group.

The operation led to the killing of 16 militants while another 64 were arrested in the process, says the report. An image of Parashar taking part in the operations with AK-47 gun is linked to the iron lady image of Parashar. In addition, Parashar received death threats from Bodo militants following the operations.

Previously, as an assistant commandant, she has been handling operations between Bodos and groups described in the report as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

Functions of CoBRA

CoBRA stands for CoBRA, which is a specialised unit of CRPF soldiers trained to fight in the jungles against insurgency attacks. The members of the force are currently operating in the vast jungle areas in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand that have been freed of Naxal influence.

CoBRA forces are also working in Manipur, where violence continues to prevail due to ethnic conflict.

Women’s Rise in CRPF Command Positions

Parashar’s promotion is one of the many instances of the CRPF’s increasing use of women officers in senior ranks, including tough operational areas.

Other women IPS officers include IGs for other CRPF divisions. Vijaya Laxmi serves as IG in the Jammu sector, Nitu D Bhattacharya serves as IG in the Madhya Pradesh sector, Kavita Jalan serves as IG of the North East sector, and Archana Shivhare is the IG of the Rajasthan sector.

The Rapid Action Force (RAF) is headed by Seema Dhundia, who was part of the first batch of women officers in the CRPF in 1987.