Mains Marathon

Day 46: You are Razia, an IAS officer posted as the Deputy Commissioner of a district undergoing the final phase of a citizenship verification process (such as the NRC). Thousands of people are excluded from the final list, many of whom are daily wage workers, marginal farmers, and women with incomplete documentation due to poverty, illiteracy, or displacement during floods.

Among the excluded are families who have been residing in the region for decades. There are widespread protests and growing communal tensions. Some groups accuse the administration of bias and targeting minorities, while others demand firm action to protect “indigenous identity.”

Your report to the state government is expected to be strictly objective, but you are personally aware that many of the excluded families are likely genuine citizens. Your junior officer suggests manipulating some data to “correct obvious errors,” but it would violate legal protocol.

A. What are the ethical conflicts Razia is facing in this situation?

B. Evaluate the short-term and long-term consequences of the following actions:

a. Manipulating records to include genuinely excluded people

b. Strictly adhering to documentation rules despite humanitarian concerns

c. Recommending a fresh field verification exercise

C. What decision should Razia take? Justify it with reference to ethical principles and professional conduct. (250 words)