General Studies 2024 GS Paper IV 20 marks 250 words Compulsory Evaluate

Q9

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? (Answer in 250 words)

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

पिछले कुछ वर्षों में, विशेष रूप से, केंद्र और राज्य सरकारों की बहुआयामी रणनीति के चलते देश के प्रभावित राज्यों में नक्सली समस्या का काफी हद तक निराकरण हुआ है। हालांकि, कुछ राज्यों में कई इलाके ऐसे हैं जहाँ नक्सली समस्या अभी भी मुख्य रूप से विदेशी देशों की दखलअंदाजी के कारण बनी हुई है। रोहित पिछले एक साल से किसी जिले में एसपी (स्पेशल ऑपरेशन) के पद पर तैनात हैं, जो अभी भी नक्सली समस्या से प्रभावित है। जिला प्रशासन ने लोगों का दिल और दिमाग जीतने के लिए हाल के दिनों में नक्सल प्रभावित इलाकों में कई विकासमूलक कार्य अपनाए हैं। पिछले कुछ समय से, रोहित ने नक्सली कैडर की गतिविधियों के बारे में वास्तविक समय की जानकारी प्राप्त करने के लिए एक उत्कृष्ट खुफिया नेटवर्क स्थापित किया है। जनता में विश्वास जगाने और नक्सलियों पर नैतिक प्रभुत्व जताने के लिए पुलिस द्वारा कई जगह घेराबंदी और तलाशी अभियान चलाया जा रहा है। रोहित स्वयं एक टुकड़ी का नेतृत्व कर रहे थे। उन्हें अपने खुफिया सूत्र के माध्यम से संदेश मिला कि लगभग दस कट्टर नक्सली अत्याधुनिक हथियारों के साथ विशेष गाँव में छिपे हुए थे। बिना कोई समय गँवाए, रोहित ने अपनी टीम के साथ उस खास गाँव में पहुँच कर पूर्ण सुरक्षा का घेरा बनाया तथा व्यवस्थित तलाशी लेना शुरू कर दिया। तलाशी के दौरान, उनकी टीम सभी नक्सलियों पर स्वचालित हथियारों के साथ काबू पाने में कामयाब रही। हालांकि, इस बीच पाँच सौ से अधिक आदिवासी महिलाओं ने गाँव को घेर लिया और लक्ष्य घर की ओर मार्च करना शुरू कर दिया। वे चिल्ला रही थीं और उपद्रवियों की तत्काल रिहाई की माँग कर रही थीं क्योंकि वे उनके संरक्षक और उद्धारक हैं। जमीनी हालात बहुत गंभीर होते जा रहे थे क्योंकि आदिवासी महिलाएँ अत्यंत उत्तेजित और आक्रामक थीं। रोहित ने अपने उच्च अधिकारी, राज्य के आईजी (स्पेशल ऑपरेशंस) से रेडियो सेट और मोबाइल फोन से संपर्क स्थापित करना चाहा, लेकिन कमजोर कनेक्टिविटी के कारण वैसा कर पाने में वे असफल रहे। रोहित की बड़ी दुविधा थी कि पकड़े गए नक्सलियों में दो न केवल चोटी के कट्टर उग्रपंथी थे, जिनके सिर पर दस लाख रुपयों का इनाम था, बल्कि वे हाल ही में सुरक्षा बलों पर घात लगाकर किए गए हमले में भी शामिल थे। हालाँकि, अगर नक्सलियों को नहीं छोड़ा गया तो स्थिति नियंत्रण से बाहर हो सकती थी। यह इसलिए कि आदिवासी महिलाएँ आक्रामक रूप से उनकी ओर बढ़ रही थीं। उस स्थिति में, हालात को नियंत्रित करने के लिए रोहित को गोलीबारी का सहारा लेना पड़ सकता है, जिससे नागरिकों की बेशकीमती जान जा सकती है एवं स्थिति और भी गंभीर हो जाएगी। (a) इस स्थिति से निपटने के लिए रोहित के पास कौन-से विकल्प उपलब्ध हैं? (b) रोहित को किन नैतिक दुविधाओं का सामना करना पड़ रहा है? (c) आपके अनुसार रोहित के लिए कौन-सा विकल्प अपनाना अधिक उपयुक्त होगा और क्यों? (d) मौजूदा स्थिति में, महिला प्रदर्शनकारियों के साथ पुलिस द्वारा क्या अतिरिक्त एहतियाती कदम उठाए जाने चाहिए? (उत्तर 250 शब्दों में दीजिए)

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Directive word: Evaluate

This question asks you to evaluate. The directive word signals the depth of analysis expected, the structure of your answer, and the weight of evidence you must bring.

See our UPSC directive words guide for a full breakdown of how to respond to each command word.

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

The directive 'evaluate' requires critical assessment of options with reasoned judgment. Structure: Brief context (20 words) → Part (a): Enumerate 3-4 options with trade-offs (60 words) → Part (b): Identify dilemmas using ethical frameworks—utilitarian vs deontological, duty vs consequence (50 words) → Part (c): Justify chosen option with reasoning—prefer graduated response prioritizing civilian safety while ensuring insurgents don't escape (70 words) → Part (d): Specific gender-sensitive protocols—women officers, community elders, non-lethal measures (50 words). Conclude with integrated approach balancing security and human rights.

Key points expected

  • (a) Options: Release all and track later; release low-level cadre, retain hardcore; negotiate via community elders; call reinforcements and hold position; use non-lethal crowd control
  • (b) Dilemmas: Duty to arrest dangerous criminals vs duty to protect civilian lives; legal obligation vs operational pragmatism; short-term security gain vs long-term trust erosion; professional oath vs moral responsibility
  • (c) Preferred option: Graduated de-escalation—retain hardcore insurgents covertly, release others through negotiated settlement involving women representatives and elders; preserves moral ascendancy and intelligence gains
  • (d) Precautionary measures: Deploy women constables in frontline; involve gram sabha women leaders; use tear smoke and water cannons before kinetic options; video documentation; medical standby; avoid night operations
  • Integration: Link to Supreme Court guidelines on crowd control (2018), NHRC recommendations, and 'win hearts and minds' doctrine
  • Ethical frameworks: Reference Rawls' veil of ignorance, utilitarian calculus, and IPS officers' moral code

Evaluation rubric

DimensionWeightMax marksExcellentAveragePoor
Demand-directive understanding20%4Demonstrates 'evaluate' by critically weighing options with explicit criteria (civilian safety, strategic value, long-term trust); for (c) provides reasoned justification with comparative analysis, not mere assertion; addresses all four sub-parts with appropriate weightage (~25% each)Lists options and dilemmas descriptively; for (c) states preference without robust reasoning; sub-parts unevenly treated with (a) and (b) dominatingMisreads directive as 'describe' or 'list'; treats (c) as opinion without evaluation; misses sub-part (d) entirely or conflates it with (a)
Content depth & accuracy20%4Accurate on: hardcore vs cadre distinction in Naxalite hierarchy; 'win hearts and minds' counter-insurgency doctrine; legal position on arrest of prize suspects; gender-sensitive policing protocols under CrPC and NHRC guidelines; operational constraints of jungle communicationGeneric understanding of Naxalite issue; conflates all ten insurgents as equally dangerous; vague on legal/ethical distinctions; standard crowd control measures without gender specificityFactual errors on police powers; suggests illegal actions (fake encounter, summary release); confuses Naxalite issue with separatism; irrelevant content on development schemes
Structure & flow20%4Clear four-part labeling (a)-(d); seamless logical progression from options → dilemmas → resolution → protocols; integrated conclusion synthesizing security-human rights balance; tight 250-word discipline with no redundancyParts labeled but uneven development; some repetition between (a) and (c); conclusion generic; minor structural gapsUnlabeled or mislabeled parts; narrative essay format; disorganized jumping between options and dilemmas; exceeds word limit significantly or severely underwrites
Examples / case-law / data20%4Cites: Supreme Court guidelines on crowd control (2018) or PUCL vs State of Maharashtra; NHRC recommendations on women protesters; Salwa Judum lessons on trust erosion; specific state models (Andhra Pradesh's Greyhounds community engagement); international precedent (British Malaya hearts-and-minds)Vague reference to 'Supreme Court guidelines' without specificity; generic mention of 'past operations'; no concrete case law or dataNo examples; irrelevant examples (Kashmir, Northeast insurgencies without distinction); invented case law; examples contradict the scenario
Conclusion & analytical edge20%4Synthesizes dilemma as 'security-legitimacy paradox'; proposes 'ethical triage'—immediate civilian protection, covert retention of hardcore, post-crisis accountability; reflects on SP's moral courage in uncertain conditions; connects to civil service values (compassion, integrity, non-partisanship)Standard conclusion on 'balancing both sides'; no original insight; restates chosen option without deeper reflectionNo conclusion; abrupt end; conclusion contradicts body; moralistic platitudes without analytical grounding; suggests abdication of duty or illegal shortcuts

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