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A young probationary officer, IPS Suman Nala ended the 12-year social exile of 29 families from Banaskantha, gaining attention for her efforts.
In 2019, IPS Suman Nnala secured 508th rank in the UPSC CSE. (News18 Hindi)
In the secluded tribal area of Banaskantha, 29 families who had endured social exclusion for over a decade have finally returned to their homes. Nearly 300 members of the Kodarvi community were ostracised, resulting in their homes being abandoned and farmlands left uncared for. Forced to leave, they survived as daily wage workers in Surat, Palanpur, and other cities, disconnected from their heritage and identity. For 12 years, there was no resolution until IPS probationary officer Suman Nala stepped in.
As a young probationary officer, Nala ended the 12-year social exclusion of the 29 families from Banaskantha, earning recognition for her efforts. Coming from a modest background, she earned a Computer Science engineering degree from BITS Pilani in 2012 and worked at Oracle for three years, but her aspiration was to join the civil service.
Determined, she left her job and in 2019, on her fourth attempt, secured the 508th rank in the UPSC Civil Services Exam, being selected for the post of IPS. Initially appointed to the Jharkhand cadre in 2021, she was transferred to the Gujarat cadre due to her marriage to Gujarat cadre IPS Om Prakash Jat. Since then, she has been serving in Gujarat.
Nala’s journey was challenging. The UPSC syllabus and her engineering background posed difficulties, as computer science was not an optional subject. She cleared the prelims for the first time in 2016 but did not pass the mains. In 2017, she reached the interview stage but did not make the final list. She failed again in 2018, but with support from her husband (who had also cleared UPSC) and her parents, she succeeded in 2019.
Suman Nala’s strategy was effective. For prelims, she studied mock tests and monthly current affairs, believing that tests indicate what to remember and what to overlook. For her optional subject, she chose history, which she enjoyed. She prepared for prelims and mains simultaneously, focusing on prelims three to four months prior, then revising mains. Making notes was a habit that helped in revision. In the interview, she focused on her state, district, career, and education.
A 2021 batch IPS officer, she was posted as ASP in Danta. There, her domestic help informed her that her parents were among the 300 people of the Kodarvi community ostracised for 12 years under the ‘Chadotara’ tradition following the 2014 murder. Nala investigated the case and found that the main accused had been acquitted, yet the punishment persisted. She began discussions with the Panchs along with SP Akshayraj Makwana and Sub-Inspector Jayshree Desai. Through patient negotiations and raising Rs 70 lakh (Rs 40 lakh from the collector fund and Rs 30 lakh from NGOs), she succeeded in bringing the families back. Now the fields are flourishing, 30 houses are being built, and the children are attending school.
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