Rajapuram is a border district. Jhara and Biru, its two major communities are in continual conflict with each other. The social fabric is fractured and demands mending.
Ethnic tensions between the two communities have erupted into violence resulting in a large number of deaths. The stated causes are conflicting land claims, uneven resource allocation and inadequate political representation in government bodies. Separate relief camps had to be created for the two communities. The situation is volatile and appears to be getting out of control.
Rajan has been appointed the District Magistrate (DM) of Rajapuram and tasked to quickly get the situation under control. His immediate tasks include restoring administrative authority, reopening the highway and initiating peace talks. On taking over his appointment, Rajan realized that the inter-community rivalry had even seeped into the local administration and police. With functional neutrality being the immediate casualty, it had made both communities distrustful of the government. The neighbouring country could utilize the opportunity to spur insurgent activity and further aggravate the situation. Rajan favoured a controlled approach starting with opening the highway to restore food and medical supplies. He toyed with the idea of requisitioning CRPF units to help restore administrative control.
(a) Discuss the ethical issues that need to be addressed in this case. (b) What are the options open to Rajan? Which option would ensure protection of his non-partisan image without compromising ethics?
Approach · directive: “discuss / what / which”
What it asks · Identify the ethical issues in an ethnic conflict where the local administration itself has become partisan, and choose options that restore order while keeping Rajan visibly neutral.
The question has 3 parts — answer each
- (a) Discuss the ethical issues that need to be addressed in the case
- (b) Set out the options open to Rajan
- (b) Identify which option protects his non-partisan image without compromising ethics
Open with · When the state's own machinery takes sides, restoring neutrality becomes the precondition for restoring peace.
Cover
- Issues: right to life and safety, humanitarian relief, impartiality of the administration, justice for victims, root causes (land, resources, representation), cross-border security risk.
- Dilemmas: speed against sensitivity, force against dialogue, and the risk that any step is read as partisan.
- Option 1 — heavy force at once: quick control, but alienation and rights violations.
- Option 2 — talks before action: consent-based, but deaths and shortages continue.
- Recommended — phased approach: neutral CRPF units for highway and camps; officials of proven impartiality (MHA communal harmony guidelines, 2008); humanitarian corridors.
- Trust-building: joint peace committees, equal relief standards, visible fairness, transparent communication to curb rumours, time-bound inquiries into the violence.
- Long-term: settle land records, share resources fairly, improve representation (Bodo Accord, 2020, as precedent); coordinate with central agencies on the border threat.
Close with · Neutrality is shown, not declared — through equal protection, fair relief and justice for both communities.
Add value (verified)
- Ambedkar, 25 November 1949: without fraternity, liberty and equality could not become a natural course of things and would need a constable to enforce them. Constituent Assembly Debates, 25 November 1949 (Dr B. R. Ambedkar) — constitutionofindia.net ↗“Without fraternity, liberty equality could not become a natural course of things. It would require a constable to enforce them.”
- Article 355: it is the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance. Constitution of India (as on 2023) — Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice ↗“355. Duty of the Union to protect States against external aggression and internal disturbance.—It shall be the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the Government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.”
- MHA Guidelines on Communal Harmony (revised, 23 June 2008), para 4.4: officials of proven integrity, efficiency, impartiality and non-partisan outlook should be posted in communally sensitive and riot-prone areas. Guidelines on Communal Harmony — Ministry of Home Affairs (revised guidelines sent to States, 23 June 2008) ↗“4.4 In communally sensitive and riot prone areas police and administrative officials of proven integrity, efficiency, impartiality and non-partisan outlook should be posted.”
- Bodo Accord (27 January 2020): signed by the Government of India, Assam and Bodo groups; a Rs 1,500 crore development package; 1,615 workers of NDFB factions laid down arms. Peace accords in the North East — PIB backgrounder, Ministry of Home Affairs, March 2024 ↗“Bodo Accord (2020) The MoU was signed on January 27 , 2020 by the Government of India, the Government of Assam, and representatives of Bodo Groups to resolve the long pending Bodo issue in the presence of Hon’ble Home Minister Shri Amit Shah. A special development package of ₹1500 crore is also provisioned. After this agreement, 1615 workers of NDFB factions laid down their arms.”
- All India Services (Conduct) Rules, Rule 3: every member shall maintain political neutrality and promote merit, fairness and impartiality. All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 (as amended) — Rule 3, hosted by Tripura High Court (thc.nic.in) ↗“Every member of the Service shall maintain:- (i) high ethical standards, integrity and honesty; (ii) political neutrality; (iii) promoting of the principles of merit, fairness and impartiality in the discharge of duties; (iv) accountability and transparency; (v) responsiveness to the public, particularly to the weaker section;”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2026, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 374 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS
Ambedkar warned that without fraternity, liberty and equality "would require a constable to enforce them". In Rajapuram the constable himself has taken sides, so neutrality must be rebuilt while people are still dying.
Stakeholders
- Both communities and the displaced; local officials and police; central forces; the state government; highway users; a hostile neighbour.
(a) Ethical issues to be addressed
- Right to life and relief: food, medicine and safety in both camps come before every other consideration.
- Impartiality: a partisan administration denies equal protection under Article 14, and both communities stop trusting the state.
- Justice versus peace: victims want accountability, yet a witch-hunt reignites violence.
- Force versus dialogue: central forces restore authority but can look like the occupation of one community.
- Root causes: land claims, resource sharing and representation are questions of distributive justice that policing cannot settle.
- Security: a hostile neighbour may exploit delay; Article 355 makes protecting states against internal disturbance a Union duty.
(b) Options open to Rajan
| Option | Gain | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy force at once | Quick control | Alienation, abuses, partisan label |
| Talks before any action | Consent | Deaths and shortages continue |
| Phased, visibly neutral action | Life first, then trust | Needs discipline at every step |
Recommended: the phased, neutral approach
- Neutral force for life and supplies: requisition CRPF units to open the highway and guard both camps equally, under civil control.
- Clean the machinery: the MHA's Guidelines on Communal Harmony (2008) ask that riot-prone areas get officials "of proven integrity, efficiency, impartiality and non-partisan outlook"; redeploy partisan staff on documented conduct, not community.
- Equal relief, visible fairness: identical standards in both camps, published daily; one control room to counter rumours; a special team to investigate every killing.
- Peace committees: elders, women and youth from both sides, starting with shared needs: the highway, markets, schools.
- Long-term settlement: land records, transparent resource sharing and representation taken up with the state. After the Bodo Accord (2020), 1,615 members of NDFB factions laid down arms: negotiation can end long conflicts.
- Why it guards his image: political neutrality and impartiality are duties under the All India Services (Conduct) Rules; Rajan stays above both communities by doing the same for each.
Neutrality is shown, not declared: equal protection, equal relief and equal justice give dialogue a floor to stand on.
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.