The Central Reserve Police Force has sought the Union home ministry’s approval to raise 20 additional battalions since it faces a shortage of nearly 26,000 personnel, CRPF sources said.

Twenty battalions is roughly equivalent to 20,000 troops.

“The CRPF is struggling to maintain its deployment, considering the evolving law-and-order situation in the country, especially in Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir,” a CRPF official said.

“We have sought permission to raise 20 new battalions and the home ministry has assured us that approval will be given soon.”

The CRPF, with a sanctioned strength of over 3 lakh personnel, is the country’s largest paramilitary force and lead internal security combat unit.

It has been deployed in Jammu and Kashmir — to fight terror and maintain law and order — and in Maoist-hit areas. Apart from that, the force has been stationed in parts of Manipur, which has witnessed ethnic violence since May 2023.

“We have deployed more personnel in Jammu and Kashmir following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack,” the CRPF official said.

Once sanctioned, the 20 new battalions will be raised with the focus on possible deployment in Jammu and Kashmir. The personnel will be armed with sophisticated weapons and their primary task will be to assist the army in anti-terror operations, the official said.

The CRPF is also raising a new battalion of its 10,000-strong, elite anti-Maoist commando unit, the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), for deployment in Jammu and Kashmir.

This will be the first deployment of the CoBRAin the Union territory, where it will conduct anti-militant operations in forested areas, especially in the Jammu region, which has witnessed a surge in terrorism, sources said.

Currently, regular CRPF units and one of its special commando units, the Kashmir Valley Quick Action Team, carries out counter-terrorist operations there alongside the police and the army.

Formed in 2008, the CoBRA is headquartered in the National Capital Region. As an incentive, its commandos receive a salary 15 per cent higher than what ordinary CRPF troopers of equivalent rank draw.

These commandos are trained in intelligence-based jungle warfare and guerilla operations. They are equipped with modern assault weapons, and communication and surveillance devices. To ensure agility, the unit is manned by young troops and commanders.