July 29 – Editorial Analysis UPSC – PM IAS

Editorial 1: Protecting Protest: On Mass Protests and the State’s Response

Context:

The recent nationwide student agitation over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leaks—spearheaded by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)—brought massive crowds to the streets, ultimately leading to the resignation of the Union Education Minister. However, the state’s initial response involved a heavy-handed police crackdown. The Supreme Court has commenced hearing petitions against the police’s alleged use of disproportionate force on July 20 in Delhi (involving tear gas and nail-studded lathis) and aerial firing of an assault rifle by a constable in Bihar on July 25. The apex court is grappling with balancing the fundamental right to protest—which inherently seeks to cause administrative inconvenience—with the state’s duty to maintain public order.

Syllabus Linkage:

• GS Paper II: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure (Fundamental Rights); Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States; Role of civil services in a democracy.
• GS Paper IV: Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration (Police ethics, proportionality of force).

Main Body: Multi-Dimensional Analysis

1. The Constitutional and Legal Dimension The right to protest is deeply embedded in the Indian Constitution, albeit implicitly.

• Article 19(1)(a) guarantees freedom of speech and expression.
• Article 19(1)(b) ensures the right to assemble peaceably and without arms.
• Article 19(2) & 19(3): These rights are not absolute and are subject to “reasonable restrictions” in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, public order, and morality.

The tension lies in interpreting “public order.” While the Chief Justice of India recently noted that protests are permissible “with due permission and at designated places,” this administrative preference often conflicts with the political nature of protests. The Supreme Court in the Shaheen Bagh Case (2020) ruled that public ways cannot be occupied indefinitely. However, in Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan vs Union of India (2018), the Court recognized that protests are a vital mechanism for citizen engagement and cannot be relegated to invisible corners (like Jantar Mantar exclusively) where they lose their impact. The democratic purpose of a protest is to inconvenience the state; conflating this “disruption” with “violence” misapplies the law.

2. The Political and Democratic Dimension

In a political landscape where the opposition is often fragmented or politically neutralized, mass movements act as a crucial “safety valve” in a democracy. The 2026 NEET protests, much like the 2020-21 Farmers’ Protests or the historical JP Movement, illustrate that when parliamentary mechanisms fail to address systemic grievances (such as the collapse of the examination integrity apparatus), the citizenry relies on the streets. The government’s initial attempt to paint the NEET protests as communal, politically motivated, or foreign-inspired highlights a state reflex to delegitimize dissent rather than engage with the underlying policy failure. The resignation of the Union Education Minister underscores that a just demand, backed by sustained mass mobilization, can force executive accountability.

3. The Administrative and Police Dimension Under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects. This leads to a severe asymmetry in how protests are handled across India.

• Under-Equipped Forces: As observed by Justice Joymalya Bagchi during the recent hearings, under-equipped police personnel often escalate the use of force out of fear. A lack of proper riot gear, shields, and modern crowd-control training leads to panic, resulting in the use of lethal or disproportionate force (such as the firing in Bihar).
• Disproportionate Force: The alleged use of nail-studded lathis and pellet guns against students is a severe violation of human rights and international best practices, which mandate a “graduated response” to crowd dispersal.
• Conflict of Interest: A significant administrative flaw is that the police force accused of excess is often tasked with investigating itself, undermining the credibility of any subsequent inquiry.

4. The Ethical and Human Rights Dimension

The core ethical dilemma for law enforcement is balancing the utilitarian need for public order with the deontological duty to respect individual human rights. The principle of proportionality is paramount. Force should only be used as a last resort, and the quantum of force must be strictly proportionate to the threat faced. Inflicting grievous injury on unarmed students protesting corruption in education violates the foundational ethics of public service.

Way Forward

1. Formulating a National Protocol on Crowd Control: While policing is a State subject, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in consultation with the Supreme Court, must draft a uniform national protocol. This should standardize the thresholds for authorizing high-impact measures (water cannons, tear gas, lathi charges) and establish mandatory documentation of injuries and medical assistance post-dispersal.
2. Mandatory Documentation and Body Cameras: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) must mandate the preservation of evidence. Police personnel in riot gear must be equipped with body-worn cameras. Every instance of a lathi charge or firing must be followed by a mandatory, independent magisterial inquiry.
3. Modernizing Police Equipment: State governments must adequately fund the modernization of police forces. Providing non-lethal, graduated crowd-control equipment and comprehensive psychological training in de-escalation tactics will reduce instances of fear-induced violence by police.
4. Independent Police Complaints Authorities (IPCA): Strictly implementing the Supreme Court’s Prakash Singh (2006) directives to establish functional, independent IPCAs at the state and district levels to investigate allegations of police brutality transparently.
5. Democratic Engagement vs. Suppression: Governments must recognize that restricting protests to “designated invisible zones” nullifies their purpose. Urban planning must accommodate spaces for dissent. More importantly, the executive must prioritize dialogue and grievance redressal over deploying the police as the first line of political defense.

Conclusion

The right to protest is the lifeblood of a functioning democracy, acting as a direct channel of communication between the governed and the government. While the state possesses the legitimate monopoly on force to prevent violence, it must not weaponize “public order” to criminalize administrative inconvenience. The events of July 2026 serve as a stark reminder that an inflexible state response to a rightful demand only entrenches agitation. Protecting the right to protest, while implementing humane and standardized policing protocols, is essential to preserving India’s democratic fabric.

Practice Mains Question

“The democratic purpose of a protest is to inconvenience the state, but not every inconvenience is constitutionally protected.” Analyze this statement in light of recent Supreme Court observations. Suggest administrative measures to balance the right to protest with the maintenance of public order. (250 words, 15 marks)

Editorial 2: Diminishing Relevance: On the Commonwealth Games and India’s Sporting Conundrum

Context:

The ongoing 2026 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Glasgow have brought into sharp focus the existential crisis facing this mega sporting event. Originally slated for Victoria, Australia, the games were relocated and severely scaled down after the Australian state withdrew due to spiraling costs. While Indian athletes like Mirabai Chanu continue to script glorious chapters (winning a third consecutive weightlifting gold medal), the country’s overall prospects have been dented by the exclusion of disciplines where India traditionally dominates—wrestling, badminton, table tennis, hockey, and squash. Concurrently, an internal crisis plagues Indian sports, with the nation topping global doping charts for three successive years, severely impacting its athletic credibility.

Syllabus Linkage:

• GS Paper II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources (Sports infrastructure and policy).
• GS Paper II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests (Relevance of the Commonwealth).
• GS Paper IV: Ethics in public administration and sports (Integrity, anti-doping mechanisms, and corruption).

Main Body: Multi-Dimensional Analysis

1. The Geopolitical and Historical Dimension: A Relic of the Empire? The Commonwealth Games originated in 1930 as the British Empire Games, serving as a soft-power tool to unite the colonies under the British Crown. Today, in an increasingly multipolar world, the geopolitical relevance of the Commonwealth of Nations is heavily diluted. Unlike the Olympics, which represent global sporting supremacy, or the Asian Games, which reflect the rising sporting prowess of the Global South, the CWG is increasingly viewed as an anachronistic relic. The absence of sporting superpowers like the USA and China means that a CWG medal, while a matter of national pride, does not accurately reflect an athlete’s standing at the elite global level.

2. The Economic Dimension: The “White Elephant” Syndrome The crisis of the 2026 Games highlights the unsustainable economic model of mega sporting events.

• Spiraling Costs: Victoria’s withdrawal three years prior was prompted by costs ballooning unmanageably. Modern cities are increasingly unwilling to bear the massive infrastructural costs of hosting a 12-day event, especially when the resulting infrastructure often turns into unutilized “white elephants.”
• Scaling Down: Glasgow’s rescue of the 2026 Games involved heavily curtailing the event. For a developing nation like India, which harbours ambitions to host future mega-events, the economic viability of such bids must be critically analyzed against urgent social sector spending needs. The corruption-tainted legacy of the Delhi 2010 CWG remains a cautionary tale of financial malpractice.

3. The Sports Governance Dimension: India’s Disadvantage The scaling down of the Glasgow Games directly penalized India. The removal of core sports like wrestling, badminton, table tennis, hockey, and squash—disciplines that contributed heavily to India’s medal hauls in the past—exposes India’s uneven sporting development.

• Over-Reliance on Specific Disciplines: India’s sporting success remains highly concentrated in a few sports. The sudden removal of these events from international rosters dramatically alters the nation’s medal trajectory.
• Need for Diversification: This serves as a wake-up call for the Union Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to diversify investments into high-yield global sports like track and field, swimming, and gymnastics, where a massive number of medals are on offer but India’s presence remains negligible.

4. The Ethical Dimension: The Doping Epidemic Perhaps the most alarming aspect of India’s current sporting landscape is its integrity crisis. India has topped the global doping charts for three consecutive years leading up to the 2026 Games.

• Systemic Failure: Doping in India is rarely just an individual moral failing; it is a systemic issue. Athletes at the grassroots and state levels often consume banned substances—sometimes unknowingly, but often at the behest of ambitious coaches.
• Socio-Economic Pressures: In India, sporting success is directly linked to secure government employment (sports quotas) and massive financial rewards from state governments. This creates a high-stakes, “win-at-all-costs” environment that incentivizes performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).
• Regulatory Apathy: The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has frequently been criticized for inadequate testing infrastructure at state-level meets and a lack of athlete education. The fact that multiple athletes failed to qualify or were withdrawn from the Indian contingent for Glasgow 2026 due to doping bans has brought international shame and severely dented India’s soft power.

Way Forward

1. Overhauling Anti-Doping Mechanisms: NADA must be strengthened with absolute autonomy and better funding to align strictly with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) standards. Anti-doping education must be made mandatory at the school and junior academy levels. Furthermore, India should consider criminalizing organized sports fraud and the distribution of PEDs to hold complicit coaches and administrators accountable, not just the athletes.
2. Strategic Sports Investment: The Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and Khelo India must diversify their focus. While sustaining support for traditional strengths, massive long-term investments must be directed toward global sports like athletics and swimming.
3. Professionalizing Sports Federations: National Sports Federations (NSFs) must be freed from the grip of career politicians and bureaucrats. Implementing the National Sports Development Code strictly, ensuring transparency, and bringing former athletes into administrative roles is critical to curbing financial malpractices.
4. Re-evaluating Bids for Mega Events: Before bidding for future mega-events, India must conduct rigorous cost-benefit analyses. The focus should be on building decentralized, world-class training facilities across the country rather than concentrating billions on temporary infrastructure in a single metropolis.

Conclusion

The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games represent a crossroads both for the event itself and for Indian sports. While the CWG fights to maintain its relevance in a financially constrained, post-colonial world, India must fight internal battles against systemic doping, administrative stagnation, and a narrow sporting focus. True sporting greatness is not measured purely by the gold medals won, but by the integrity of the athletes and the robust, transparent, and equitable nature of the sporting ecosystem that produces them.

Practice Mains Question

“The diminishing relevance of the Commonwealth Games is a reflection of changing global geopolitics and the unsustainable economics of mega sporting events.” Discuss. In this context, analyze the structural and ethical challenges facing sports governance in India. (250 words, 15 marks)