Rinkoo Singh Rahee, a 2022-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre known for his long-standing fight against corruption, has resigned from the civil services.
The development, reported on March 31, 2026, comes after he spent nearly eight months in an ‘attached’ posting at the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Board in Lucknow, where he received a salary but claimed he was not assigned any substantive responsibilities or field duties.
In his resignation letter, Rahee reportedly described the situation as morally untenable, stating that continuing to draw pay without contributing to public service went against his principles. He also alluded to a ‘parallel system’ operating outside the constitutional framework, raising broader questions about bureaucratic functioning in the state.
A journey marked by courage and perseverance
Born on May 20, 1982, in Uttar Pradesh (with roots in Aligarh district), Rahee earned a BTech in Metallurgy from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Jamshedpur, in 2002.
He cleared the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Civil Services (PCS) examination on his first attempt around 2004–2008 and began his career in the Social Welfare Department. His most defining moment came in 2009 while serving as District Social Welfare Officer in Muzaffarnagar.
Mr. Rahee exposed a large-scale scam involving scholarships and pensions worth approximately ₹83–100 crore. His investigations, supported by RTI filings, uncovered irregularities in welfare schemes meant for students and marginalized communities. The exposé made him a target. Armed assailants shot him seven times in a brutal attack on a badminton court. The bullets severely damaged his jaw, disfigured his face, and caused permanent loss of vision in one eye, along with hearing impairment in one ear.
Despite the life-threatening injuries, he survived.
Undeterred, Mr. Rahee continued his pursuit of accountability. He persisted with RTI activism and faced multiple transfers, harassment, and even attempts to sideline him. Over the years, he appeared at public platforms, including hunger strikes in Delhi, to highlight systemic corruption in welfare programs.
In a remarkable display of resilience, Rahee cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination in 2021 on his 16th attempt, securing All India Rank 683 under the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) category due to his visual impairment. He joined the IAS in 2023 as part of the 2022 batch, assigned to the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
Recent postings and the viral incident
After joining the IAS, Rahee served briefly as Assistant Magistrate in Mathura. In July 2025, he was posted as Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Powayan tehsil in Shahjahanpur district. On his very first day, during an inspection, he noticed open urination and poor cleanliness at the tehsil premises. He instructed a lawyer’s clerk who was foundviolating hygiene norms to perform sit-ups as a corrective measure. When local advocates protested, Mr. Rahee took responsibility for the office’s condition and performed sit-ups himself while holding his ears, an act captured on video that quickly went viral across social media. The gesture, intended to emphasize equal accountability and personal ownership of administrative shortcomings, sparked mixed reactions. Some praised it as a rare example of humility and commitment to discipline, while others criticized it as undignified for a senior officer. Within 36 hours, the Uttar Pradesh government transferred him and attached him to the Revenue Board in Lucknow.
Latest developments and resignation
Following the transfer, Mr. Rahee remained in the attached role for several months without a regular field posting. His resignation on March 31, 2026, has reignited public debate about the challenges faced by upright officers within the bureaucratic system, including sidelining, lack of meaningful work, and resistance to reform-minded officials.
Mr. Rahee’s career trajectory, from surviving an assassination attempt for exposing corruption as a young PCS officer to becoming an IAS officer despite physical disabilities, has made him a symbol of perseverance for many UPSC aspirants and citizens concerned with governance and integrity.
As of April 1, 2026, the Uttar Pradesh government had not issued a detailed official response to the resignation. The episode highlights ongoing discussions about officer utilization, political interference in postings, and the difficulties of maintaining transparency in public administration.