Administrative Learnings from Delhi

The capital city of Delhi recently saw riots in the North-East part of the city over the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2020. The violence that started on the night of 23 February 2020 has resulted in the deaths of 53 people. While the matter itself is sub-judice, there are some crucial administrative learnings from the tragedy in Delhi, that can be applied across sectors. Examining purely from this lens, the following lessons emerge:

1. Importance of anticipation: Sun Tzu in the Art of war said: “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”. A crisis can happen at any point in time, but an able administrator must consistently be aware of the happenings on the ground. Understanding the “pulse of the people” can help understand the cause and level of discontent. Since it is almost impossible to react to each and every issue, consistent monitoring can avoid build-up of animosity and also warn of an imminent crisis.

2. Developing an all-weather network: Strategic decisions are rarely taken on the ground, but can never be divorced from it. To anticipate a crisis, developing a network of people in the area of operation is necessary. These champions once identified and trained, can be reliable eyes and ears of administration. Since they are seeded in the community of operation, they can relay real-time accurate information, thus separating the wheat from the chaff.

3. Social Capital: There are several stories of people supporting each other across religion, caste, creed and region. This highlights the social capital existing between the people in the area. As members of the community, they primarily identify themselves and each other as humans, neighbours, friends and families. If the administration builds and maintains this social capital, the community shares ownership of the intervention undertaken by the administration. It strengthens the channels of communication and so people see the management as an ally rather than an adversary.

4. Understanding your situation in context: Identifying the distinguishing factors of a crisis can help narrow the field of inquiry and help optimise response. For instance, the Delhi riots had few unique elements against any other eruption: There was heavy use of guns1, sustained violence and transmission of information with dexterity and pace. With N-E Delhi being an area inhabited by low and middle-income groups, it seems unlikely that common citizens would have ready access to guns or the ability to coordinate masses over WhatsApp.

5. Trust in the institution: Trust is a public good, that increases on its repeated use. The concept of Social contract thus has its bedrock in institutions being fair, unbiased and effective. Large scale disruptions usually stem from a lack of trust in the efficacy of the institution. When people feel that the system will not protect them, they become insecure. As quoted by Thomas Hobbes “Where there is no common power, there is no law, where no law, no injustice. Force, and fraud, are in war the cardinal virtues.”

6. Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done: One of the biggest, and probably the most important lesson, is that institutions must always act with neutrality and make sure that it is communicated to the people. A system that appears to be partial – strengthens one section and weakens the other – in both cases leading to excesses.

7. Standard operating procedures and contingencies: Having standard procedures and ensuring the team is trained in them is the best way to enhance objectivity and efficacy. If objective parameters are defined (for situations where possible) there is clarity of action amongst the team members. There is also accountability when they are not followed. Further, this informs everyone of the certainty and severity of administrative action – thus avoiding escalation.

Post the riots, Delhi police was active and visible. They were quick to counter any misinformation campaign. In one of the instance, rumours of riots in West Delhi started circulation. As is with rumours, with each level, number of nodes increased – leading to fear and panic. However, proactive tweets by senior officers, along with images of them being on the ground, quelled the rumours almost instantly, and restored normalcy in a matter of hours, without any violence. This goes a long way to show the impact an able and professional administrator can make.

1. Media report (by the Wire on March 5) says nearly 102 people received bullet injuries (https://thewire.in/rights/delhi-riots-bullet-injuries-police-gtb-hospital)