IAS officers and former directors of LBSNAA say tighter rules, frequent memos and a changed campus culture are reshaping training at India’s civil services academy in Mussoorie.
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There is a serious concern that the functioning of the academy has taken a “Tughlaqi farman” style approach, where instructions are followed in a rigid, unquestioned manner, and authority is exercised in ways that feel punitive rather than educational. A culture appears to have developed in which officer trainees are subjected to treatment that feels less like professional training and more like control through intimidation.
The training atmosphere is perceived as feudal in nature, where authority operates on whims rather than transparent norms. Trainees often feel that discipline is used as a tool for psychological pressure rather than professional development. Instead of mentorship, there is an environment of fear and humiliation.
There is also concern about the messaging being informally conveyed that the IAS is an elitist service, and that media, judiciary, and other Group A services are somehow below its stature or should be treated as obstacles. Such thinking is deeply problematic in a constitutional democracy, where governance depends on institutional balance, mutual respect, and cooperation.
Another troubling aspect is the obsession with unnecessary dramatization around cleanliness drives, inspections, and staged performances. Trainees are compelled to participate in exaggerated displays whenever senior officers visit, creating artificial situations rather than genuine learning experiences. This “performance culture” adds stress without professional value.
Communication methods used in the name of discipline are also an area of concern. Trainees report being shamed or spoken to in ways that target their upbringing, family background, region, or language. Such conduct is deeply demoralizing and contradicts the inclusive ethos expected of civil service leadership.
There is a perception that even non-teaching staff in administration, medical, and support services are encouraged to treat trainees harshly — almost as if they must “teach them a lesson” about how government staff treat the public. This normalizes disrespect rather than correcting it, and risks reinforcing the very administrative culture that governance reforms are trying to change.
Particularly worrying are issues related to medical sensitivity. Trainees with genuine health vulnerabilities or physical limitations feel their conditions are sometimes dismissed, and they are pushed into physically demanding activities under extreme weather conditions. Resilience building should never come at the cost of medical safety.
Food quality, living conditions, and resource management — matters that directly affect trainees’ well-being — appear to receive less attention than symbolic or cosmetic concerns. This imbalance affects morale and performance.
There is also a perception of favoritism linked to cadre networks, where certain groups receive more visibility through invited speakers and institutional attention. Whether intentional or not, such patterns damage the sense of neutrality and fairness expected in a national training academy.
Measures such as regulating social media use, promoting simplicity, and teaching humility are positive and necessary. However, when discipline turns into moral policing or regressive imposition of personal values, it begins to resemble authoritarianism rather than character building.
Being an honest and corruption-free officer is essential, but it is not sufficient. An officer must also be humane. If trainees are subjected to domination, humiliation, and psychological pressure during training, it raises a serious question: how will they exercise power when they themselves are in positions of authority?
Training institutions do not merely teach governance — they model it. If the model reflects elitism, fear, and unchecked authority, that is what will be reproduced in the field.
Write about LBSNAA director Tughlaqi farmans are followed by directors, deputy directors to torture officer trainees. The likes of Ritika Narula, Gautam Thapliyal, Bagadi Gautam, Aswathy behaves like fiefdom holders to torture officer trainee on their whims and wishes.
IAS is as an elitism service taught directly by course coordinator by saying media, judges and other Group A services are below your stature and you need to handle them as obstruction.
The obsession to get OTs do unnecessary dramas with respect to cleanliness, shows and actings where the Director will come for inspection and LBSNAA faculty will act and force OTs to play along in their overacting to create the beat drama. Next level is the women faculty officers who will go on floor by abusing OTs about their upbringing, family, Region or language. In the name of discipline they will shame and demoralise OTs to please their officer ego and also instruct staff of administration, medical and other departments to insult OTs and treat them like prisoners or freeloaders saying it should be the way govt staff treats common people. Worse is the medical staff, and mess staff who treats OTs like beggar dependents, genuine medical reasons are not considered, physical disability and capability is questioned and many times despite being medically vulnerable OTs are forced to do activities in extreme unadapted weather conditions. Staff has gone rude like bouncers and unsullied body guards of the fiefdom. Quality of food and resources have gone poor but no attention to matters that actual concern life of OTs.
Then cadre love is shown by inviting guest speakers from
Particular cadre where the course coordinator comes from to enhance lobby of favouritism. The only academy teaches is their greatness, benevolence and magnanimity of being IAS and mistreat younger collleagues by mentally harassing them at every process with trivial requirements.
Social media ban is a welcome step, teaching humility and etiquettes of simple living is high thinking is a very essential one but imposing morality and regressive thinking in the name of discipline is a hogwash to elitism and dictatorialship. Just being honest and corruption free is not the requirement of an officer, one need to be good to others and when the academy harasses their own OTs with dominating powerful position, what the OTs are going to do when they get such power.
The academy may be the place where formal brainwashing of the trainees with socialism takes place whereas the informal brainwashing before selection to the academy is done by reading ‘The Hindu’ newspaper. After destroying the economy with rural employment guarantee scheme, the next socialist scheme may be in the making by these socialist civil servants.
There is a serious concern that the functioning of the academy has taken a “Tughlaqi farman” style approach, where instructions are followed in a rigid, unquestioned manner, and authority is exercised in ways that feel punitive rather than educational. A culture appears to have developed in which officer trainees are subjected to treatment that feels less like professional training and more like control through intimidation.
The training atmosphere is perceived as feudal in nature, where authority operates on whims rather than transparent norms. Trainees often feel that discipline is used as a tool for psychological pressure rather than professional development. Instead of mentorship, there is an environment of fear and humiliation.
There is also concern about the messaging being informally conveyed that the IAS is an elitist service, and that media, judiciary, and other Group A services are somehow below its stature or should be treated as obstacles. Such thinking is deeply problematic in a constitutional democracy, where governance depends on institutional balance, mutual respect, and cooperation.
Another troubling aspect is the obsession with unnecessary dramatization around cleanliness drives, inspections, and staged performances. Trainees are compelled to participate in exaggerated displays whenever senior officers visit, creating artificial situations rather than genuine learning experiences. This “performance culture” adds stress without professional value.
Communication methods used in the name of discipline are also an area of concern. Trainees report being shamed or spoken to in ways that target their upbringing, family background, region, or language. Such conduct is deeply demoralizing and contradicts the inclusive ethos expected of civil service leadership.
There is a perception that even non-teaching staff in administration, medical, and support services are encouraged to treat trainees harshly — almost as if they must “teach them a lesson” about how government staff treat the public. This normalizes disrespect rather than correcting it, and risks reinforcing the very administrative culture that governance reforms are trying to change.
Particularly worrying are issues related to medical sensitivity. Trainees with genuine health vulnerabilities or physical limitations feel their conditions are sometimes dismissed, and they are pushed into physically demanding activities under extreme weather conditions. Resilience building should never come at the cost of medical safety.
Food quality, living conditions, and resource management — matters that directly affect trainees’ well-being — appear to receive less attention than symbolic or cosmetic concerns. This imbalance affects morale and performance.
There is also a perception of favoritism linked to cadre networks, where certain groups receive more visibility through invited speakers and institutional attention. Whether intentional or not, such patterns damage the sense of neutrality and fairness expected in a national training academy.
Measures such as regulating social media use, promoting simplicity, and teaching humility are positive and necessary. However, when discipline turns into moral policing or regressive imposition of personal values, it begins to resemble authoritarianism rather than character building.
Being an honest and corruption-free officer is essential, but it is not sufficient. An officer must also be humane. If trainees are subjected to domination, humiliation, and psychological pressure during training, it raises a serious question: how will they exercise power when they themselves are in positions of authority?
Training institutions do not merely teach governance — they model it. If the model reflects elitism, fear, and unchecked authority, that is what will be reproduced in the field.
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Write about LBSNAA director Tughlaqi farmans are followed by directors, deputy directors to torture officer trainees. The likes of Ritika Narula, Gautam Thapliyal, Bagadi Gautam, Aswathy behaves like fiefdom holders to torture officer trainee on their whims and wishes.
IAS is as an elitism service taught directly by course coordinator by saying media, judges and other Group A services are below your stature and you need to handle them as obstruction.
The obsession to get OTs do unnecessary dramas with respect to cleanliness, shows and actings where the Director will come for inspection and LBSNAA faculty will act and force OTs to play along in their overacting to create the beat drama. Next level is the women faculty officers who will go on floor by abusing OTs about their upbringing, family, Region or language. In the name of discipline they will shame and demoralise OTs to please their officer ego and also instruct staff of administration, medical and other departments to insult OTs and treat them like prisoners or freeloaders saying it should be the way govt staff treats common people. Worse is the medical staff, and mess staff who treats OTs like beggar dependents, genuine medical reasons are not considered, physical disability and capability is questioned and many times despite being medically vulnerable OTs are forced to do activities in extreme unadapted weather conditions. Staff has gone rude like bouncers and unsullied body guards of the fiefdom. Quality of food and resources have gone poor but no attention to matters that actual concern life of OTs.
Then cadre love is shown by inviting guest speakers from
Particular cadre where the course coordinator comes from to enhance lobby of favouritism. The only academy teaches is their greatness, benevolence and magnanimity of being IAS and mistreat younger collleagues by mentally harassing them at every process with trivial requirements.
Social media ban is a welcome step, teaching humility and etiquettes of simple living is high thinking is a very essential one but imposing morality and regressive thinking in the name of discipline is a hogwash to elitism and dictatorialship. Just being honest and corruption free is not the requirement of an officer, one need to be good to others and when the academy harasses their own OTs with dominating powerful position, what the OTs are going to do when they get such power.
The academy may be the place where formal brainwashing of the trainees with socialism takes place whereas the informal brainwashing before selection to the academy is done by reading ‘The Hindu’ newspaper. After destroying the economy with rural employment guarantee scheme, the next socialist scheme may be in the making by these socialist civil servants.