Imphal: The Manipur government has sought 3,000 additional central paramilitary personnel from the Union Home Ministry to strengthen counter-insurgency and area-domination operations amid renewed ethnic violence.
The request for 30 additional companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), including specialised CoBRA and Rapid Action Force (RAF) units, is still pending with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
If approved, the deployment would add to the state’s existing security presence, which was estimated at more than 300 companies, or around 30,000 personnel, in assessments conducted in mid-2026.
Security sources said the additional forces were needed to address operational gaps. CoBRA units would be deployed in difficult terrain, RAF personnel would handle public-order flashpoints, and regular CAPF units would sanitise routes and secure vulnerable locations.
However, it remains unclear whether the MHA can provide the requested forces because of its commitments in other parts of the country.
Official sources said around 8,500 personnel had been temporarily withdrawn from Manipur earlier this year for deployment during the West Bengal elections.
The latest request comes after a series of setbacks for security forces in the region. Violence has continued despite the deployment of two CoBRA battalions in June 2026 under a specialised task force called “Mission Manipur”.
Following an ambush on an Assam Rifles convoy in Ukhrul on July 6 that killed two personnel, the CRPF revised its standard operating procedures.
The new rules require security forces to use only bulletproof vehicles, prohibit unplanned movements, mandate route sanitisation and hold commanders more accountable. CoBRA units have also been assigned law-and-order duties in addition to jungle warfare.
The conflict between the valley-based Meitei and hill-based Kuki-Zo communities began in May 2023. It has claimed more than 310 lives, left 49 people missing and displaced tens of thousands.
Buffer zones and movement restrictions have not stopped intermittent killings, ambushes and extortion.
The security situation has become more volatile since early 2026, with renewed tensions between Kuki-Zo and Naga groups in the hill areas adding to the existing divide between the valley and the hills.