Some people have to fight multiple battles to achieve their goals, and they succeed in all due to their indomitable strength, courage and determination. One such inspiring person is IAS Kinjal Singh who cleared IAS examination and also successfully got justice for her father.
Born on January 5, 1982, in Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, Kinjal Singh was only two years old, when her father, Deputy Superintendent of Police, KP Singh, was murdered by his colleagues in a fake encounter almost 35 years ago in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh.
Since then, Kinjal had to regularly travel to the Supreme Court in Delhi from her hometown, along with her mother, to seek justice for her father.
Her father was killed when the prime conspirator-Saroj realised that his misdeeds as a police officer might be uncovered by Singh, who was known to be honest and uncorrupted. The guilty police officer, who had many cases of bribery and corruption pending against him, and others compelled Singh to Madhavpur on the pretext of monitoring criminal movements there. Upon reaching, when no one yielded to Singh's knocks on the door, he stepped back and stared at Saroj. Then Saroj fired shots at his chest, and Singh was pronounced dead at the hospital. Around 12 other villagers were also murdered in this fake encounter.
Thereafter, Vibha as a strong single mother shouldered the entire weight of Kinjal and her sister’s education and also fought bravely to get justice for her husband. This quest for justice persisted for the next 31 years till they finally got justice.
Despite the trauma of tragically losing her father and managing the daily commutes for court hearings to Delhi, Kinjal studied hard and made it into Delhi's prestigious Lady Shri Ram College.
But soon another tragedy hit their lives, when their mother was diagnosed with cancer. After an intense battle with the disease, she died in 2004. During her final minutes, she was assured by her daughters that they will fulfill her dream by becoming IAS officers and getting justice for their father's death.
While talking about her parents, Kinjal said, “I am proud of my father who was an honest officer and my mother who proved to be a strong single parent and a stronger widow who stood up against the injustice done to her husband.”
After her mother's demise, Kinjal returned to take her final exams in college, and topped Delhi University. Thereafter, she also called her younger sister, Pranjal Singh, to Delhi. Together, the sisters began another momentous journey of fulfilling the ardent dream of their father, to be an IAS officer.
They began to sincerely focus their efforts on preparing for the UPSC exam. With unwavering hard work and determination, Kinjal was selected for IAS in the second attempt by securing 25th rank in 2008. Pranjal too cleared it with 252nd rank, and is an IRS officer now.
They then decided to aid their lifelong quest to get justice for their father and get the culprits behind his murder arrested. Their unflinching determination moved the entire justice system, and eventually led to a judgement in their favour. In 2013, after 31 years of their battle for justice, the CBI special court in Lucknow punished all the 18 accused behind their father DSP Singh's murder.
While talking about this victory, Kinjal rejoicely asserted, “I was barely two and a half months old when my father was murdered. I have no memories of him. But I remember how my mother Vibha continued her struggle for justice despite all odds, till she succumbed to cancer in 2004. Had she been alive today, I am sure she would have lived the moment. “
While in service, Kinjal has previously been a DM of Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur. This year she was appointed as DG of Medical Education Department, Uttar Pradesh.
She along with her sister are inspiration for numerous girls who want to make it big amid adversity.
