Assam's 'Iron Lady' becomes first woman to lead CRPF's elite CoBRA unit

IPS officer Sanjukta Parashar, widely known as the Iron Lady of Assam, has made history by becoming the first woman Inspector General to head the Central Reserve Police Force's elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action, better known as CoBRA. The appointment order was passed by CRPF headquarters on September 10, 2026, and Parashar has since taken charge of the 10 battalion strong force, succeeding 1996 batch IPS officer Danesh Rana. CoBRA is the CRPF's specialised unit trained specifically for jungle and guerrilla warfare, long range forest operations, ambush and counter ambush tactics, and precision strikes against armed insurgents.