A Bus Ride, An Insult, And Then… How Shalini Became India’s Pride As An IPS

Shalini Agnihotri

New Delhi: For Shalini Agnihotri, the journey to become an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer was not only about ambition. It was deeply personal as well. Born and raised in Una, a quiet district nestled in the hills of Himachal Pradesh, Shalini’s path to India’s elite civil services was driven not by privilege or coaching, but by purpose and perseverance.

She recalls a moment that changed her life forever. An incident years ago while she was travelling with her mother left her shaken. Someone misbehaved with her mother. That single moment of helplessness stayed with her. “That day, I felt powerless. I decided I had to become someone who could bring change,” she said in an interview.

That resolve eventually shaped her into the determined woman she is today.

Her academic foundation was strong early on. Shalini did her schooling in Dharamshala and consistently performed well in class. She scored 92% in Grade 10 and 77% in Grade 12 exams. She pursued bachelors in agriculture from Himachal Pradesh University, followed by a postgraduate degree. But even then, she always knew that her heart was set on joining the civil services.

What makes her journey stand out is that Shalini cleared the highly competitive UPSC Civil Services Exam without attending any coaching classes. No big city crash courses. She relied on self-study and online resources – something countless aspirants today can relate to. In 2011, her dedication paid off when she secured an All India Rank of 285 and was selected for the IPS. She went on to crack UPSC again in 2012.

Today, Shalini is not just a symbol of hard work but of quiet strength of how one moment of pain can ignite a lifelong fire to serve and protect. Her story is a reminder that while coaching institutes may help, it is clarity of purpose and the courage to dream big that truly shape a civil servant.