Guwahati: Senior IPS officer Sanjukta Parashar, known as the “Iron Lady of Assam” for her counter-insurgency work in the Northeast, has taken charge as Inspector General of the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) elite CoBRA unit, becoming the first woman officer to head the specialised jungle-warfare force.
Parashar, a 2006-batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, brings extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations, field policing and national security investigations to the post.
The CRPF headquarters issued the appointment order last week. Parashar succeeds 1996-batch IPS officer Danesh Rana as IG, CoBRA.
“This is the first time that the 10-battalion-strong CoBRA of the CRPF will be headed by a woman officer,” a senior officer said.
Two CoBRA units were recently deployed by the CRPF in Manipur to check armed violence.
CoBRA, or Commando Battalion for Resolute Action, is one of the CRPF’s specialised operational formations. Raised for high-risk missions in jungle and guerrilla warfare environments, the force is trained in long-range patrolling, intelligence-based operations, ambushes and counter-ambushes, as well as operations in areas where improvised explosive devices pose a major threat.
The force has been deployed extensively in anti-Maoist operations across Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Maharashtra, where its commandos operate in dense forests and difficult terrain.
Officials said CoBRA operations require officers with strong field orientation, operational judgement and the ability to coordinate closely with other security agencies.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) credits CoBRA commandos with successful intelligence-based jungle warfare and guerrilla operations against Naxals, which led to the end of Maoist violence in the country in March this year.
Parashar’s career has included several assignments in insurgency-affected areas of Assam, where she handled operations involving armed militant groups, volatile law-and-order situations and difficult terrain. Her work in these areas, particularly her involvement in field operations, earned her public recognition and the title “Iron Lady of Assam”.
Images of Parashar carrying an AK-47 while accompanying security personnel during counter-insurgency operations had earlier drawn national attention.
Her first posting came in 2008, when she served as an Assistant Commandant in Makum, Assam. She was later posted to Udalguri, which was then witnessing violent clashes involving Bodo armed groups and migrants from Bangladesh. The assignment gave her early experience in conflict management and operational policing in a sensitive environment.
Parashar also served with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as a Deputy Inspector General, where she handled investigations related to terrorism, extremism and national security.
Gyanendra Pratap Singh, a 1991-batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre who also served with the NIA, is now the Director General of the CRPF.
Parashar pursued political science at Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi University, before studying International Relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University. She later completed her MPhil and PhD in US foreign policy.