Sanjukta Parashar, an IPS officer with a formidable background in counter-insurgency, has made history by becoming the first woman inspector general of the CRPF's elite CoBRA force.
Key Points
- Sanjukta Parashar, a 2006-batch IPS officer, has been appointed as the inspector general of CoBRA, making her the first woman to lead the elite force.
- Known as the 'Iron Lady of Assam', Parashar has extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast.
- CoBRA commandos specialise in jungle warfare, long-range operations, ambush tactics, and countering IED threats in difficult terrain.
- Parashar's career graph covers field policing and national-security investigations with the National Investigation Agency.
Sanjukta Parashar, the 2006-batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre IPS officer known for her frontline role in counter-insurgency operations in Assam, has become the first woman to head the Central Reserve Police Force's elite CoBRA unit.
Parashar has been appointed inspector general of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action, or CoBRA, the CRPF's specialised force trained for jungle warfare and counter-insurgency operations.
Her appointment marks a significant milestone for women officers in India's Central Armed Police Forces and brings her career back to the kind of jungle and counter-insurgency operations that first made her nationally known.
From the insurgency-hit forests of Assam to the command of the CRPF's elite jungle-warfare force, Parashar's career has been shaped by some of the country's most demanding security assignments.
Assam's Forests To CoBRA
Parashar, a 2006-batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has spent much of her career in the field, leading and participating in counter-insurgency operations in the North East.
She shot to national prominence during her tenure as superintendent of police in Sonitpur, where she led operations against insurgents in difficult forest terrain.
Her field operations brought her face-to-face with militants as well as the hazards of the terrain, including torrential rain, fast-flowing rivers and elephants.
In 2015, she was reported to have led the Assam police and CRPF personnel during operations against militants in the forests of Sonitpur.
CoBRA was created as the CRPF's specialised force for guerrilla and jungle warfare and operates in some of India's most challenging insurgency-affected areas.
CoBRA commandos are trained to operate in some of the most difficult terrains in the country.
Their specialised role includes long-range operations in dense forests, ambush and counter-ambush operations, dealing with IED threats and intelligence-based action against armed insurgents.
A return to the central force
The ministry of home affairs appointed Parashar as an inspector general in the CRPF on central deputation in August 2026.
Before moving to the CRPF, she was serving as inspector general of police, CID-I, in Assam.
She had earlier spent several years on central deputation with the National Investigation Agency, where she served as superintendent of police and later deputy inspector general.
A career built in difficult terrain
For Parashar, the new assignment brings her back to an operational environment familiar from her years in Assam -- one where knowledge of terrain, intelligence and quick decision-making are critical.
During her tenure as Sonitpur SP, she personally led patrols deep into forests and worked alongside Assam police commandos and CoBRA personnel during operations against insurgents.
Those experiences helped establish her reputation as a field officer willing to operate alongside her personnel in some of the state's most difficult areas.
More than a decade later, she will now be at the helm of the very force whose personnel once operated alongside her in Assam's forests.
Parashar studied political science at Indraprastha College, University of Delhi, and later pursued higher studies in international relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
In 2006, she secured All India Rank 85 in the UPSC civil services examination and chose the Indian Police Service.
During her tenure with the National Investigation Agency, Parashar worked on national security investigations involving terrorism and extremist networks and coordinated with multiple investigative and security agencies.
Now, at the head of CoBRA, her career brings together the two strands of her experience -- the realities of counter-insurgency on the ground and the wider demands of national security investigations.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff
