After Shakti Dubey Tops UPSC, Social Media Turns Toxic Against Reservation Beneficiaries

New Delhi— In the recently announced UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) 2024 results, Shakti Dubey from Prayagraj district, Uttar Pradesh, achieved a remarkable feat by securing the top position in one of India's most challenging examinations. Her success stands as a testament to the immense hard work and dedication she must have invested.

While a large section of the country is celebrating Shakti Dubey's outstanding achievement and congratulating her, another disturbing trend has emerged on social media. Using her photo, several posts are being circulated that insult and target more than half of India’s population under the guise of criticizing reservation policies.

Many such posts share the same caption alongside Shakti Dubey’s photo, and they are being widely circulated by a particular section of society.

One such example is from a Facebook page called "Brahmin Ekta Manch", which has nearly 77,000 followers. On April 23, the page posted a congratulatory message for Shakti Dubey, while simultaneously launching an attack against beneficiaries of the reservation system. The post reads:
"This is the brilliance of Brahmins... Where have all the reservation seekers gone? It is a matter of great pride that Shakti Dubey, daughter of Shri Munna Dubey from Rampur village, Bairia under Ballia district, has secured the top rank in the #UPSC_2024 and brought glory to Bairia, the district, and our community. Heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for a bright future to our sister who has raised the honor of our society."

Clearly, through such posts made in the name of a specific community, Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasis — the primary beneficiaries of reservation — are being directly targeted, as seen in the comments below these posts.

Importantly, the "Brahmin Ekta Manch" page is not the only one. Numerous similar posts across various social media platforms echo the same sentiment.

This raises a pertinent question: if Shakti Dubey’s achievement is the result of her hard work, what fault lies with marginalized communities who avail themselves of constitutionally guaranteed reservations?

It is worth noting that the reservation system is enshrined in the Constitution of India to address historical injustices and provide equal opportunities to marginalized sections.

The UPSC announced its 2024 results on April 22. Out of the selected candidates, 335 were from the General category, 109 from the EWS (Economically Weaker Section), 318 from the OBC category, 160 from Scheduled Castes (SC), and 87 from Scheduled Tribes (ST).

Interestingly, the EWS category — which provides reservation to economically weaker sections of the General category — accounted for 109 successful candidates this year.

Despite this, certain groups are targeting reservation beneficiaries with abusive language, ignoring the fact that even candidates from the General category are now benefiting from a form of reservation.
This trend suggests that the real target of such attacks are not those from the General category, but specifically those communities who have historically availed reservations as a matter of constitutional right.