The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has shifted a battalion of more than 1,000 personnel from Sukma in Chhattisgarh to Manipur, in the first complete withdrawal of a Central Armed Police Force unit from the anti-Maoist theatre since the Centre declared an end to armed Maoism in March.
The move, ordered by the CRPF headquarters, transfers a general-duty battalion from south Bastar to Manipur, where ethnic violence has continued for more than three years. The battalion had been deployed in Sukma for several years, first undertaking Left Wing Extremism operations and later supporting de-mining and the disposal of improvised explosive devices.
First full battalion de-induction from Bastar
The redeployment is different from earlier temporary movements of individual companies, which are smaller components of a battalion and have been used for duties such as election security, the Amarnath Yatra and protests in Delhi. This is the first complete battalion-level de-induction reported from Chhattisgarh’s anti-Maoist operations area after the March declaration.
“The CRPF headquarters has ordered the de-induction of a general duty battalion from Chhattisgarh and directed it to move to Manipur, where ethnic violence has been simmering for more than three years now. This is the first full withdrawal of any paramilitary unit from the anti-Naxal operations theatre following the declaration that armed Maoism in the country ended in March,” a senior security officer based in Delhi told PTI.
The battalion was based in Sukma, a district in the south Bastar region that had been a major Maoist stronghold. The CRPF has been the lead central force for anti-Naxal operations, with more than one lakh personnel deployed for that task. Its role in the area after March included efforts to detect and neutralise explosive threats, according to officials cited by PTI.
Additional central forces already in Manipur
The incoming unit will join an existing central-force presence in Manipur. The CRPF had deployed two battalions of its Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), its specialised jungle-warfare formation, in the state a few months ago. Other regular CRPF units and the Rapid Action Force have also been stationed there.
- Origin: Sukma district in Chhattisgarh’s south Bastar region
- Strength: More than 1,000 CRPF personnel
- New assignment: Security deployment in Manipur
- Earlier duties: LWE operations, followed by de-mining and IED disposal
Officials said the latest deployment would involve logistical and accommodation challenges. Instructions have been issued to make suitable arrangements for the battalion as it moves into Manipur. The CRPF’s transfer therefore combines a change in the force’s post-March role in Chhattisgarh with an expansion of its deployment in a state where security forces have been operating since ethnic violence broke out in May 2023.
The movement does not represent the withdrawal of all central forces from Chhattisgarh. It is, however, a significant organisational change: a complete CRPF battalion that spent years in the anti-Maoist theatre is now being assigned to another internal-security requirement, while specialised and regular units remain deployed in both theatres as determined by operational needs.
