By Arvind Chaturvedi
Bad people and good people exist in every corner of society. Good people show the way for society. The great philosopher Socrates said, “It is better to suffer injustice yourself than to do injustice to others. A good person never responds to evil with evil.”
In the Uttar Pradesh cadre, more than a dozen IAS officers have, over the past few years, either resigned from service or taken voluntary retirement (VRS).
Among those who have resigned or taken VRS in recent years, Divya Mittal, a 2013-batch officer, is the latest to do so. After completing nearly 13 years of service, she described her decision as one driven by personal priorities and a desire to give a new dimension to her dreams.
Divya Mittal had captured the nation’s attention when, as District Magistrate of Mirzapur, she brought piped drinking water for the first time to the people of Lahuriyadah village in Haliya block — a village that had remained deprived of water for more than seven and a half decades since independence.
In August 2023, as the then district magistrate, Divya Mittal overcame difficult hilly terrain under the Jal Jeevan Mission to supply piped water to more than 125 households in the village.
The achievement drew widespread attention. During the inauguration, local villagers welcomed her by garlanding her with flowers. This reportedly did not go down well with senior officials in Lucknow. A controversy also arose in local political circles over protocol during the inauguration ceremony, following which she was transferred from Mirzapur.
Divya was left without a posting for several months. She was later appointed District Magistrate of Deoria, only to be removed from that position again after a few months.
Divya always stood against wrongdoing. Perhaps that is why she was not always considered convenient by political leaders. Her defining quality was that she could not be pressured into doing anything improper or unlawful.
In a post shared on social media, she described her journey and her experiences of serving the nation — a continuation of the work she had undertaken and the dreams she had envisioned for India.
Rinku Singh Rahi, a 2022-batch officer, has a story that has inspired many. He resigned from service in 2026, citing the prolonged denial of important posts or meaningful work while being attached to the Board of Revenue, as well as what he described as a sense of suffocation within the administrative system and moral grounds for his decision. He later withdrew his resignation and was given a new posting. Since then, however, he has continued to remain embroiled in controversies.
Anamika Singh, a 2004-batch officer, applied for VRS and left the service. Her reasons were cited as personal and related to exploring other career opportunities.
Amod Kumar, a 1995-batch officer, is known for his love of reading, his willingness to take on new assignments and his readiness to accept challenges. After a period on central deputation, he took premature retirement through VRS. He had held considerable influence during the Akhilesh government, but later, not getting work according to his preferences became a major factor in his decision to take VRS.
Abhishek Singh, a 2011-batch IAS officer, also has a completely filmy story. He resigned from service to pursue his interests and career in fields beyond the administrative service, including art and acting. The dream of entering politics was also cited as one of the reasons for his resignation.
Vikas Gothwal, a 2003-batch officer, left service citing consultancy and other personal reasons. Vidya Bhushan, a 2008-batch officer, cited medical and health-related reasons. Mohammad Mustafa, a 1995-batch officer who had garnered considerable attention for taking action against Raja Bhaiya during the Mayawati regime, resigned citing a lack of sufficient interest in the work.
Renuka Kumar, a 1987-batch officer, and Juthika Patankar, a 1988-batch officer, applied for VRS while on deputation. Rigzin Samphel, a 2003-batch officer, Rajeev Agarwal, a 1993-batch officer, and G. Srinivasulu, a 2005-batch officer, also left service, citing opportunities in the private sector or personal and family reasons. In some cases, however, the applications and subsequent decisions were different.
It is true that everyone has the right to live their dreams. Some wanted to seek new opportunities in the corporate world, public policy or other fields, while others reached this point because of deadlocks between the state and Centre over NOCs (No Objection Certificates) or deputation matters, or because they did not get postings according to their wishes. Many officers have also cited family responsibilities or health issues in their decisions to leave.
But here, a question arises.
To fulfil the dream of becoming an IAS officer, all these people must have worked day and night. They must have spent countless sleepless nights, stayed away from their families for years and suppressed innumerable personal desires.
So how can anyone walk away, in a single moment, from a dream pursued for so many years?
This is the question that inspired me to write this article.
It is also true that no story is ever complete. New characters keep joining it, while others move on to write new chapters of their lives.
I am confident that the upcoming chapters in the lives of these people will be exciting.
As the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “The only secret to extracting maximum joy and meaning from existence is to live dangerously.”
