After Ambushes, CRPF Mandates Armoured Vehicles, Cautions Against Sudden Moves in Manipur

In response to two recent ambushes on Assam Rifles personnel in Manipur and Nagaland, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has instructed its units in Manipur to use only armoured vehicles for movement and to avoid sudden or unplanned deployments, a senior government official confirmed on Thursday.

The CRPF, which is the largest central security force in Manipur with around 20,000 personnel across 200 companies, has inducted two battalions of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) in June 2026. CoBRA, a specialised unit originally raised for anti-Maoist operations, is being deployed to intensify operations against armed groups, dismantle bunkers, and recover weapons. At least 100 armoured vehicles have been sent to the state in the past two months, the official added.

In addition to the CRPF, Manipur hosts approximately 10,000 Border Security Force (BSF) personnel across 100 companies, and about 26,000 personnel from the Assam Rifles and the Indian Army. The CoBRA battalions have undergone pre-induction training in crowd management, as security operations in the state often face obstruction by locals, particularly women.

“We have advised the personnel to avoid any sudden movement for administrative or operational reasons. They have also been asked to take action against armed miscreants — anyone found with a gun is to be arrested or fired upon if they do not surrender,” the official said.

The instructions come against a backdrop of escalating ethnic tensions. The conflict between the Kuki and Meitei communities, which began in May 2023 and has claimed over 300 lives, has now expanded into tensions between the Kuki and Naga populations. Plans are underway to deploy CoBRA battalions in the hill districts of Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Ukhrul. Churachandpur and Kangpokpi are Kuki-Zo-dominated areas, while Ukhrul is a Naga-majority district.

The Kuki-Naga tensions flared on February 7, 2026, in Litan, Ukhrul. Following the revocation of President’s Rule on February 4, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh (Meitei) and two Deputy Chief Ministers — Nemcha Kipgen (Kuki-Zo) and Losii Dikho (Naga) — were sworn in. Ms. Kipgen’s appointment was protested by members of her own community, who opposed her joining the government until justice is delivered for Kuki victims of the conflict.

“The Kuki groups in Ukhrul announced a shutdown after Ms. Kipgen took oath and put up pickets to enforce the blockade. On February 7, at one such picket, some Kuki men flashed a torchlight in the face of a Naga youth passing by. Since all the men were drunk, it led to a brawl, which has now turned into severe tensions between the communities, involving killings, abductions, and blockade of highways to cut off supplies of essentials and food to Kuki areas,” the official explained.

The ethnic violence that erupted on May 3, 2023, has so far claimed 300 lives. Hundreds more were killed in the Kuki-Naga clashes in the 1990s, underscoring the deep-rooted nature of the conflict.