Sudarshan News Video On ‘UPSC Jihad’ Is A Slanderous Attack on UPSC And Is Trying to Divide Indians: Kerala IAS Officer
By
Gokul G R
31 Aug 2020
A vile
‘promotional video’ posted by a regional news network, Sudarshan News, has
attracted justifiable condemnation from across the board. The factually
incorrect video, which targets serving and aspiring civil servants from the
Muslim community and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is nothing but
a series of misinformation and insinuations, aimed at sowing disharmony.
The
credibility of the UPSC is no accident. The founders of our republic, and prime
ministers from all political parties have invested time, effort, and goodwill
to develop the UPSC as an independent and fair organisation.
One only
needs to contrast the unblemished record of the UPSC with the corruption and
nepotism in Public Service Commissions in the Indian states and similar
organisations in countries at a comparable level of development, to understand
how rare and difficult this is.
The video
makes the unsubstantiated allegation that the UPSC ‘discriminates’ based on the
applicant’s religion.
‘Sudarshan
News’ Video Trying to Divide Indians – But We Must Push Back
That the
video tries to divide Indians as we face one of the gravest public health crisis
of our age and the resultant economic crisis, makes it even more serious. My
understanding is that the action invites the provisions of hate speech in
Indian law. The Delhi High Court has placed an injunction on the airing of the
full episode, and I hope that the perpetrators face the full force of the law.
But it is
more important that the people of India push back against such depraved
messaging in one voice.
I want to
present a hopeful anecdote from my state of Kerala.
My
colleague from the Muslim community was handling a very sensitive issue that
attracted national attention as a District Magistrate. Some hate-peddlers
decided to question his impartiality on religious grounds. The reaction from
the public across the state was swift and unequivocal: ‘this will not be
allowed’. The DM was one of the best the district had seen in years, if not in
decades, and had led ably during the Kerala flood of 2018.
The
perpetrators not only backed down but never went down that path again. Let’s
repeat that, this time at the national level.
Snapshot
The
video by ‘Sudarshan News’ is a slanderous attack on the UPSC.
The
credibility of the UPSC is no accident.
The
founders of our republic, and prime ministers from all political parties have
invested time, effort, and goodwill to develop the UPSC as an independent and
fair organisation.
The
video makes the unsubstantiated allegation that the UPSC ‘discriminates’ based
on the applicant’s religion. This is blatantly false.
The
statements in the video are factually incorrect.
The
representation of Muslims in the higher civil services is far below their
proportion in the population.
The video also casts aspersions on the integrity and loyalty of serving civil servants, many of whom are doing stellar service to the nation.
Inadequate
Representation of Muslims In Higher Civil Services Points to Structural Issues
The
statements in the video are factually incorrect. The representation of Muslims
in the higher civil services is far below their proportion in the population.
The proportion of successful candidates from the Muslim community varies
slightly across the years but has consistently hovered around 4-5 percent.
The
Proportion Is Far Lesser In The More Coveted IAS, IFS, And The IPS.
As Muslims
account for 14 percent of the Indian population, such low numbers point to
serious structural issues in education and access among Muslim students.
Representation
is a ‘necessary, but not sufficient’ pre-condition for a healthy society in a
democratic polity. We should question why fewer Muslims are successful in civil
service examinations and taking steps to ensure appropriate representation.
‘Civil
Servants Are Trained To Place National Interest Above All Else’
The video
also casts aspersions on the integrity and loyalty of serving civil servants,
many of whom are doing stellar service to the nation, far away from their homes
and loved ones. One of my closest friends, a Director of State Education, who
happens to be a Muslim, is working 24x7 to ensure equitable access to online
classes for students in these trying times.
They
undergo two years of rigorous training and are groomed in the state with the
ethos of public service before taking up higher responsibilities. I am sure
that millions of Indians would have had a first-hand experience of the
professionalism and empathy of a District Magistrate or a Superintendent of
Police who is from the Muslim Community.
An example
of efficiency is that of an officer, who was so indispensable to the state
administration that the government issued his posting orders full two months
before the expiry of his one-year mid-career training.
I hope that
the law takes its course, and the perpetrators get punished. But the people of
India must unequivocally reject such vile attempts at creating divisions to
deter future hate-peddlers.
----
Gokul
G R is an
IAS officer of the Kerala cadre. He holds a graduate degree in Economics and
Public Policy from Princeton University.
This is
an opinion piece and the views expressed in this article are that of the
writer’s own.
Original
Headline: Indians Must Slam Divisive ‘UPSC Jihad’ Video: Kerala IAS Officer
Source: The Quint