Three CoBRA Commandos Killed in Chhattisgarh Highway Crash

Three personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and a civilian driver were killed after their vehicle rammed into a stationary truck in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district on Saturday morning, police said. The victims were members of the CRPF’s elite CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) unit. The accident occurred around 8 am near Khapri village on the Dhamtari bypass along the Jagdalpur–Raipur National Highway , a key route connecting the Bastar region with the state capital.

According to Superintendent of Police Suraj Singh Parihar, four CoBRA personnel from the 201st battalion were travelling from Jagdalpur , the headquarters of Bastar district, to Raipur to proceed to their native places while on leave when their car crashed into a truck parked on the roadside. The impact was severe, killing one commando and the driver on the spot, while two other personnel succumbed to injuries while being taken to hospital.

The deceased were identified as Saurabh Tomar, Mukesh Kumar, and Rajkumar God , along with the driver Heeralal Nagar . Another commando, Abhiman Rai (28) , sustained injuries and has been referred to Raipur for advanced treatment.

Preliminary findings suggest the driver may have dozed off at the wheel, causing the speeding vehicle to collide with the parked truck. Authorities are also examining visibility conditions and whether proper hazard warnings were placed near the stationary vehicle.

The CoBRA unit is specially trained in guerrilla warfare and jungle operations and is extensively deployed in the Left-wing extremism-affected Bastar region , which spans seven districts. Personnel frequently undertake long road journeys between operational bases and transit hubs after demanding deployments in remote forest terrain, where fatigue and difficult travel conditions pose additional risks.

The tragedy occurred on February 14, the anniversary of the Pulwama attack , when 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a terror strike in 2019. While the earlier incident was an act of terrorism and this one a road accident, the coincidence adds emotional weight to the loss, underscoring the constant risks faced by security personnel both in operations and in transit.