Who is Sanjukta Parashar? Meet the ‘Iron Lady of Assam’ who becomes the first woman to head CRPF’s CoBRA, tell me about this news in (https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/general/who-is-sanjukta-parashar-meet-the-iron-lady-of-assam-who-becomes-the-first-woman-to-head-crpf-s-cobra/ar-AA2ck3Y8?ocid=BingNewsVerp)

Who is Sanjukta Parashar?Sanjukta Parashar is a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 2006 batch from the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. She has made history by taking charge as the Inspector General (IG) of the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) elite CoBRA unit, becoming the first woman officer to lead the specialised jungle warfare and counter-guerrilla commando force. She succeeds 1996-batch IPS officer Danesh Rana in this command.Key Details of the News

• First Woman to Head CoBRA: The CRPF’s Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) consists of 10 battalions specially trained for guerrilla operations, asymmetric combat, ambushes, and tracking insurgent groups deep inside dense forests. Parashar is the first woman to command this elite combat formation.
• Broader Initiative: Her appointment aligns with an expanded initiative within the CRPF placing experienced women IPS officers in key operational and high-risk leadership commands across sensitive sectors.

Why She is Called the ‘Iron Lady of Assam’Parashar earned the moniker “Iron Lady of Assam” through her field-oriented leadership during high-stakes counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast:

• Early Field Postings: After starting as Assistant Commandant in Makum in 2008, she was deployed to Udalguri, managing volatile ethnic clashes and conflict zones on the ground.
• Anti-Militancy Crackdown in Sonitpur: As Superintendent of Police (SP) in Sonitpur (2013–2014), she spearheaded extensive operations against the militant outfit National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). Her units neutralized 16 militants and arrested 64 others within a 15-month period.
• Leading from the Front: Known for carrying tactical weapons like the AK-47 and personally accompanying commandos into dense jungle terrains, her frontline leadership established a strong reputation across national security circles despite receiving multiple militant threats.

Professional Background & Track Record

• Academic Excellence: Before entering civil services, Parashar earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Indraprastha College for Women (Delhi University), followed by a Master’s, MPhil, and a PhD focusing on US foreign policy from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
• Civil Services: She secured All India Rank 85 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination and chose the police service to serve directly in her home cadre.
• National Security & NIA Stint: Parashar served as a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in the National Investigation Agency (NIA), supervising high-profile counter-terrorism investigations and inter-agency coordination.
• Prior to CoBRA: Prior to her appointment as IG of CoBRA, she served as the head of the Assam Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID).