With multipronged strategy of the Central and State Governments specially in the last few years, the naxalite problem has been resolved to a large extent in the affected states of the country. However, there are a few pockets in certain states where naxalite problem still persists, mainly due to involvement of foreign countries. Rohit is posted as SP (Special Operations) for the last one year, in one of the districts which is still affected by the naxalite problem. The district administration has taken a lot of developmental works in the recent past in the naxalite affected areas to win the hearts and minds of the people. Over a period of time, Rohit has established an excellent intelligence network to get the real time information regarding the movement of naxalite cadre. To instill confidence in the public and have moral ascendancy over the naxalites, a number of cordons and search operations are being conducted by the police. Rohit, who himself was leading one of the contingents got a message though his intelligence source that about ten hard core naxalites were hiding in a particular village with sophisticated weapons. Without wasting any time, Rohit reached the target village with his team and laid out a foolproof cordon and started carrying out a systematic search. During the search, his team managed to overpower all the naxalites along with their automatic weapons. However, in the meantime, more than five hundred tribal women surrounded the village and started marching towards the target house. They were shouting and demanding the immediate release of insurgents since they are their protectors and saviours. The situation on the ground was becoming very critical as the tribal women were extremely agitated and aggressive. Rohit tried to contact his superior officer, IG (Special Operations) of the state on the radio set and on mobile phone, but failed to do so due to poor connectivity. Rohit was in great dilemma since out of the naxalites apprehended, two were not only hard core top insurgents with prize money of ₹ ten lakhs on their heads, but were also involved in a recent ambush on the security forces. However, if he did not release the naxalites, the situation could get out of control since the tribal women were aggressively charging towards them. In that case, to control the situation Rohit might have to resort to firing which may lead to valuable loss of lives of civilians and would further complicate the situation.
(a) What are the options available with Rohit to cope with the situation? (b) What are the ethical dilemmas being faced by Rohit? (c) Which of the options, do you think, would be more appropriate for Rohit to adopt and why? (d) In the present situation, what are the extra precautionary measures to be taken by the police in dealing with women protesters?
Approach · directive: “what / which”
What it asks · List Rohit's options when tribal women demand the release of captured naxalites, name his dilemmas, choose the best course, and suggest precautions with women protesters.
The question has 4 parts — answer each
- (a) List the options available to Rohit to cope with the situation
- (b) Identify the ethical dilemmas Rohit faces
- (c) Choose the most appropriate option for Rohit and justify it
- (d) Suggest the extra precautions the police should take in dealing with women protesters
Open with · Rohit must keep a hard-won operational success without turning a civilian protest into a tragedy.
Cover
- Stakeholders: tribal women and villagers, the arrested naxalites, Rohit's team, victims of the recent ambush, the district administration and the State.
- (b) Dilemmas: rule of law vs avoiding bloodshed; waiting for orders vs acting on judgement; force vs restraint; short-term calm vs long-term deterrence.
- (a) Release them: averts a clash but rewards coercion and demoralises forces. Fire on protesters: keeps prisoners but kills civilians and feeds insurgency.
- (a) Middle path: hold the prisoners, avoid firing, negotiate through women personnel and village elders, and move the prisoners out by another route.
- (c) Best course: evacuate the two top insurgents first, use only minimal non-lethal force, keep talking, summon reinforcements and record everything.
- (d) Precautions: women police for any contact, no firing or lathi-charge, video recording, medical aid, respect for dignity, and later outreach on grievances.
- (d) Legal: BNSS s.43(5) — no arrest of a woman after sunset and before sunrise save in exceptional circumstances with a magistrate's prior permission.
Close with · Firmness in law with restraint in force keeps both the operation's gains and the people's trust — the real terrain of counter-insurgency.
Add value (verified)
- Section 43(5) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 bars the arrest of a woman after sunset and before sunrise, except in exceptional circumstances with the prior permission of a first-class magistrate on a woman police officer's written report. The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (No. 46 of 2023) — Gazette of India, 25 December 2023 ↗“Save in exceptional circumstances, no woman shall be arrested after sunset and before sunrise, and where such exceptional circumstances exist, the woman police officer shall, by making a written report, obtain the prior permission of the Magistrate of the first class”
- PIB (10 December 2024): LWE-related violence fell 73% in 2023 from the 2010 high, and resultant deaths of civilians and security forces by 86%. Reduction in LWE violence — PIB (Ministry of Home Affairs), 10 December 2024 ↗“Resolute implementation of the ‘National Policy and Action Plan to Address Left Wing Extremism (LWE)’ both by the Centre and the States has resulted in a consistent decline in LWE both in terms of geographical spread and violence. LWE related violence has reduced by 73% in 2023 in comparison to the high levels of 2010. Resultant deaths (Civilians + Security Forces) have also reduced by 86% during the same period.”
- The National Policy and Action Plan to address LWE (2015) combines security measures, development interventions and the rights and entitlements of local communities. Reduction in LWE violence — PIB (Ministry of Home Affairs), 10 December 2024 ↗“To address the LWE problem holistically, a “National Policy and Action Plan to address LWE” was approved in 2015. It envisages a multi-prolonged strategy involving security related measures, development interventions, ensuring rights and entitlements of local communities etc.”
- UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms (1990): officials shall, as far as possible, apply non-violent means before force, and when force is unavoidable exercise restraint and act in proportion. Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials (Havana, 1990) — University of Minnesota Human Rights Library ↗“shall, as far as possible, apply non-violent means before resorting to the use of force and firearms. They may use force and firearms only if other means remain ineffective or without any promise of achieving the intended result. 5. Whenever the lawful use of force and firearms is unavoidable, law enforcement officials shall: (a) Exercise restraint in such use and act in proportion”
- BNSS Section 43(1) proviso: a woman's submission to custody on oral intimation is presumed, and unless circumstances require or the officer is female, the police officer shall not touch her to arrest her. The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — Gazette of India ↗“Provided that where a woman is to be arrested, unless the circumstances indicate to the contrary, her submission to custody on an oral intimation of arrest shall be presumed and, unless the circumstances otherwise require or unless the police officer is a female, the police officer shall not touch the person of the woman for making her arrest.”
- BNSS: whenever a female is to be searched, the search shall be made by another female with strict regard to decency. The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — Gazette of India ↗“Whenever it is necessary to cause a female to be searched, the search shall be made by another female with strict regard to decency.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2024, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 387 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS
Rohit holds about ten captured naxalites, two of them top insurgents, while over 500 agitated tribal women close in and his superiors are unreachable. The stakes go beyond one village: LWE violence fell 73% in 2023 from its 2010 peak under a strategy joining security, development and local rights; one wrong shot could undo that trust.
Stakeholders
- Those affected: tribal women and villagers; the arrested men; Rohit's team; ambush victims' families; the district administration.
(a) Options available to Rohit
| Option | Merit | Demerit |
|---|---|---|
| Release the naxalites | Averts a clash | Rewards coercion, frees ambush suspects |
| Fire to hold the line | Keeps prisoners | Civilian deaths, propaganda win |
| Hold, negotiate, extract | Keeps law and lives | Needs nerve and time |
(b) Ethical dilemmas
- Rule of law versus sanctity of life: release under duress breaks the law; firing on unarmed women breaks a higher duty.
- Judgement versus orders: with the IG unreachable, Rohit must act on reasoned judgement and own it.
- Calm versus deterrence: quiet today against tomorrow's message to insurgents; loyalty to ambushed colleagues against restraint.
(c) The most appropriate option, and why
- Hold, negotiate and extract: move the two top insurgents out at once by another route under escort; keep the rest secured in the cordon.
- Dialogue: speak through women constables and a respected elder; assure the crowd the men will be produced before a magistrate unharmed.
- Graded, non-lethal force only: loud-hailer warnings and barricades, tear smoke as a last resort, firing only to save life; keep trying the IG and video-record everything.
- Justification: the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force (1990) require non-violent means first, and restraint and proportion when force is unavoidable; this course keeps both legality and life.
(d) Extra precautions with women protesters
- Women police only: the BNSS presumes a woman's submission on oral intimation of arrest and bars a male officer from touching her unless circumstances require; only a woman may search a woman, and decently.
- No night arrests: Section 43(5) of the BNSS bars arresting a woman after sunset and before sunrise, save in exceptional cases with a magistrate's prior permission.
- Dignity and care: no abuse, medical aid at hand, water and time to disperse; later, the administration hears the women's grievances.
Firmness in law with restraint in force keeps both the operation's gain and the people's trust, the real terrain of counter-insurgency.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.