Lucknow/New Delhi: In a development that has once again brought attention to one of India’s most extraordinary bureaucratic journeys, Rinkoo Singh Rahee, a Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer known for surviving a near-fatal gun attack and clearing the UPSC Civil Services Examination in his 16th attempt, resigned from service on Tuesday.
His resignation is being seen not merely as an administrative decision, but as a statement rooted in principle. In his resignation letter addressed to the Chairman of the Revenue Board, Rahee reportedly alleged that a parallel system was functioning outside the constitutional framework and said that although he continued receiving salary, he was not being given an opportunity to perform meaningful public service.
Calling the resignation a moral decision, the officer said he could no longer continue under such circumstances.
Resignation After Eight Months Without Field Posting
Rinkoo Singh Rahee belongs to the 2022 batch of IAS officers of the Uttar Pradesh cadre and still had nearly 16 years of service left.
Read Also: This Officer Reveals Alternative Modes To Coaching for UPSC
He had been transferred from Shahjahanpur to the Revenue Board around eight months ago and posted in Board of Revenue Uttar Pradesh, where he remained without any field assignment.
Sources indicate that his dissatisfaction had been growing over the absence of active administrative responsibility despite being in service.
Before his Revenue Board posting, his first IAS assignment had been as Assistant Magistrate in Mathura from April 2024 to July 2025. Later, he was posted as SDM of Powayan in Shahjahanpur.
Powayan Incident: The Episode That Triggered Transfer
While serving as SDM of Powayan Tehsil of Shahjahanpur district in July 2025, Mr Rahee became involved in an incident that drew public and administrative attention.
Soon after assuming charge at around 2 PM on July 24, he reportedly saw a clerk named Vijay, associated with lawyer Agyaram, urinating against a wall inside the tehsil premises. Rahee reprimanded him and instructed him to use the designated toilet facilities.
When the clerk responded that the toilets were dirty, the SDM reportedly blamed the tehsil administration and immediately ordered the clerk to perform uthak-baithak (squats).
At that time, lawyers were already protesting in the tehsil premises over their own pending demands. As word spread that a clerk had been punished publicly, lawyers confronted the SDM.
When questioned, Rahee defended his action by saying the clerk had committed a mistake. Lawyers argued that forcing someone to do squats was inappropriate and asked whether he himself would do the same.
Rahee responded that there was nothing shameful about it and performed five squats himself in front of them.
A video of the incident surfaced shortly after, and he was transferred.
A Whistleblower Who Paid With Blood
Long before becoming an IAS officer, Rinkoo Singh Rahee had already become known in Uttar Pradesh for his anti-corruption stand.
In 2008, while serving as District Social Welfare Officer in Muzaffarnagar, he initiated scrutiny into scholarship and welfare disbursement records.
The department distributed over ₹40 crore annually under several welfare schemes, and Rahee ordered an inquiry into allocations over the previous five years.
His investigation exposed serious discrepancies and eventually uncovered a scam estimated between ₹83 crore and ₹100 crore.
On March 26, 2009, while playing badminton in the morning during the Mayawati government period, armed attackers opened fire on him.
He was hit by seven bullets.
Two bullets struck his face. His jaw was shattered, one eye lost vision, hearing in one ear was affected, and his face suffered permanent disfigurement.
Despite the severity of injuries, he survived.
Police investigations later concluded that local gangsters allegedly acted at the behest of officials linked to the welfare department.
“Bullets Damaged My Face, Not My Courage”
Rahee later described the attack as life-changing but not spirit-breaking.
He spent months in hospital recovering, underwent prolonged treatment, and continued pursuing legal action.
The Muzaffarnagar court later convicted several accused, including a district social welfare office accountant.
Even after the attack, he continued pursuing corruption cases and demanding institutional accountability.
He also sought access to departmental records through RTI and at one stage launched a hunger strike in Lucknow, hoping the government would respond to his demands for investigation and departmental transparency.
UPSC Journey: 16 Attempts, Nearly Two Decades of Persistence
Rinkoo Singh Rahee’s UPSC journey is regarded as one of the most remarkable examples of persistence in recent civil services history.
UPSC Journey at a Glance
- Total Attempts: 16
- UPSC CSE Rank: AIR 683
- Category: SC, PwBD-5
- Service Allotted: IAS
- Cadre: Uttar Pradesh
He finally cleared UPSC Civil Services Examination 2021 and officially entered IAS in the 2022 batch at age 40, using age relaxation available under the Persons with Benchmark Disability category.
Academic Background and Early Career
Born on 20 May 1982, Mr Rahee hails from Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh.
His father runs a small flour mill.
He completed early schooling in Hathras district and later studied at Government Inter College, Aligarh.
After scoring well academically, he earned a scholarship and completed B.Tech in Metallurgy from National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur in 2002.
That same year, he secured All India Rank 17 in GATE, a result that could have led him into India’s top technical institutes.
Instead, he chose civil services.
Cleared UPPCS in First Attempt
He began preparing for civil services in 2002.
His first UPSC prelims came in 2003 after only five months of study.
He then cleared Uttar Pradesh PCS in his first attempt in 2004.
The result came in 2007, and he received posting in 2008 as District Social Welfare Officer.
His optional subjects in UPPCS were Geology and Mathematics.
In UPSC, he later chose Public Administration as optional.
Why UPSC Took 16 Attempts
Rahee has openly admitted that his UPSC journey was prolonged because he always prioritized official duty over exam preparation.
According to him, this left him with limited preparation time.
He cracked prelims multiple times but struggled in mains due to lack of writing practice and proper guidance.
He later improved through structured answer writing, current affairs note-making, and repeated revision.
His preparation philosophy remained simple:
- Read fewer sources
- Revise repeatedly
- Focus on answer writing from the beginning
- Practice mains mocks
- Build analytical understanding
He often advised aspirants not to scatter energy across too many books.
Teaching Aspirants While Preparing Himself
During service, Rahee also served as Director of a state-run IAS coaching centre in Hapur, where he mentored civil service aspirants.
Even while teaching others, he continued his own preparation.
He often said UPSC had changed dramatically over the years, becoming more analytical and dynamic.
He adapted accordingly.
A Story Beyond Bureaucracy
Rinkoo Singh Rahee’s life is not merely the story of a bureaucrat.
It is the story of a whistleblower who exposed corruption, survived bullets, endured physical disability, continued legal battles, taught aspirants, and finally entered the IAS after nearly two decades of determination.
His resignation now adds another chapter to a career already marked by conflict, courage, and controversy.
Whether viewed as protest, principle, or institutional disillusionment, his exit has again placed his remarkable journey in national focus.
Read Also: Inside the Strategies That Helped 2021 Toppers Beat the Odds And Crack UPSC Prelims
