Cobra Sting in Op Black Forest

N a pre-mission briefing of his men from the special CoBRA force, Manoranjan, a newly-inducted young officer, had declared, "It's a do or die mission, and mine will be the first COBRA blood to be shed if it came to that." During his pre-induction interview, I had observed his readiness to give his best for an operation.

- K V MADHUSUDHANAN

He and the brave men of COBRA knew the challenge of fighting a well-armed, motivated and organised adversary—one who can't be identified easily even if seen gossiping with local villagers. So, imagine taking him on in his own adda. You cannot disrupt village life, though you are sure an extremist is hiding there. You don't have Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in force and your adversary enjoys the rights of a vibrant democracy.

Maoists demonstrate their position by sporadic violence, so that the local population toes their line and joins their militia in large numbers out of fear, most often not knowing the movement's ideology. Mobile warfare is a decisive stage in guerrilla warfare to liberate pockets of influence. They set up alternative administrative structures where the presence of government agencies is not seen or felt—like in Abujhmad, which literally translates as 'unknown area'.

Detection and disposal of explosives, especially the improvised explosive devices, are a real challenge. In September 2009, in one of the COBRA unit's early major operations, Manoranjan and his men succeeded in outmanoeuvring the IEDs. But he did not survive the ensuing close encounter to tell the tale. For the newly operationalised COBRA, it was a shock and a warning. But they just could not fail.