UPSC Success Story: For many, difficult circumstances can become a reason to give up. For Ritu Khokhar, the daughter of a Haryana farmer, they became a reason to work harder. From studying at a government school in her village until Class 10 to clearing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination in her first attempt, Khokhar’s journey is a story of determination and perseverance.
Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Ritu Khokhar, currently serving as the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Dharashiv district in Maharashtra, belongs to a small village in Haryana. She secured All India Rank 141 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2017 and was selected for the IPS. She is a 2018-batch IPS officer of the Maharashtra cadre.
From Government School To IPS
Khokhar was born on October 23, 1994, in Bhader village of Panipat district, Haryana, to farmer Tarachand and Sunita Devi. She completed her Class 10 education at the government school in her village before completing Class 12 from a school in Panipat.
She later joined Kurukshetra University, where she pursued a master’s degree in Mathematics. In 2016, she completed her MSc in Mathematics with a gold medal.
Prepared For UPSC In Delhi
After completing college, Khokhar moved to Delhi to prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Examination. Her home in Panipat is around 90 kilometres from Delhi. She spent nearly nine months preparing at a coaching institute in Delhi.
Speaking to the media after clearing the examination, Khokhar had said that she had never even filled out an application form for any competitive examination other than the UPSC Civil Services Examination.
Secured Rank 141 In First Attempt
Khokhar appeared for the UPSC Civil Services Examination for the first time in 2017 and secured All India Rank 141. She subsequently joined the Indian Police Service in the Maharashtra cadre.
Her journey from a government-school student from a farmer’s family to an IPS officer has often been cited as an example of how students from modest backgrounds can pursue the country’s highly competitive civil services examination.
Khokhar has said that she believes a person needs to think big to achieve significant success. With this approach, she chose to focus entirely on the UPSC Civil Services Examination rather than applying for other government jobs.
