Success Story: Bus Conductor's Daughter Becomes IPS Officer

Shalini Agnihotri, a bus conductor's daughter, is today an IPS officer. The 29-year-old was also adjudged the best all-rounder trainee in the 65th batch of the IPS.

Who is she?

Shalini was in born in Thathal village of Una district, Himachal Pradesh. She says her father Ramesh, a bus conductor, and her mother Shubhlata, a homemaker, always supported her and her two siblings.

She recalled, "They came from backgrounds of very little formal education but were keen that the three of us had a good education. No one on either side of my family or even relatives was in the services, and hence, there were times when my dreams seemed very far-fetched," reported Daily Hunt.

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"The region I was born into is considered to be a rather backward area in the district. Despite all that, I am rather proud of how my siblings and I managed our lives. My elder sister is a dental surgeon, and my younger brother is commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Indian Army," - Shalini Agnihotri

Shalini did her schooling from DAV School, Dharamshala. She graduated from Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, Palampur, getting her degree in Agriculture.

How did UPSC happen?

Narrating an incident from her childhood, Shalini said that once when she was travelling in a bus with her mother, a man standing beside them was holding the headrest of the seat where they were sitting. They told him repeatedly to remove his hands but he didn't listen and instead asked her mother whether she was a DC, whose orders he had to obey.

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Shalini being a child didn't know much about who a DC was, but understood that it was somebody powerful and decided to be one someday.

She prepared for UPSC secretly, without telling any of her relatives and took the help of Internet to study.

She disclosed, "I am thankful to free Internet. I would spend hours online, reading, researching, and just trying to understand how the exam works. Like most aspirants, I would also devour all the newspapers, magazines, and other online sources of information."

Awards won 

After becoming the best all-rounder trainee of her batch, Shalini was honoured with the Prime Minister's Baton and the Home Ministry's Revolver.

She also got an award for being the best all-rounder female officer trainee and the best female officer trainee in outdoor subjects. She received a trophy for investigation, and one for the best essay writing on 'communal harmony and national integration'.

Initially posted as the Assistant Superintendent of Police in Shimla, Shalini has now been posted as the Superintendent of Police in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh.

Picture Credit: Punjab Kesari

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Kriti Dwivedi is an intern with SheThePeople.Tv