CRPF Revises SOP Amid Escalating Manipur Unrest: Bulletproof Vehicles Mandated

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has updated its protocols for personnel in Manipur, following recent ambushes on Assam Rifles. New procedures require movement exclusively in bulletproof vehicles. This strategy, alongside the deployment of CoBRA units, aims to improve security and counteract the ongoing ethnic violence in the region.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has implemented a revised Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for its troops in Manipur, mandating the exclusive use of bulletproof vehicles. The update comes after recent assaults on Assam Rifles personnel amid ongoing ethnic tensions since 2023.

This directive impacts approximately 20,000 CRPF personnel and 2,000 members of the elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) units. The heightened security measures follow several attacks, including an ambush in Assam, which killed multiple soldiers and injured others.

In response to the unrest, nearly 100 Marksman bulletproof vehicles, designed for urban combat, have been dispatched to Manipur. Alongside revised SOPs, the CRPF has tasked two newly moved CoBRA units with combating armed miscreants as part of a broader strategy to restore peace in the violence-stricken region.