FIRST Kashmiri Muslim IPS — Ab. Gani Mir Batch 1994, Qualification: B.Sc., M.B.A.
As a young boy he dreamt of donning uniform to protect people from being victimized or subjugated to inhumane conditions. His sheer hard work and grit to outshine others did yield result when he qualified for Civil Services Examination and got Indian Police Service Cadre.
He is the first Kashmiri who got into IPS as a direct recruit. Abdul Gani Mir, a boy from rural background scaled the heights.
From a small Village in district Kupwara which is about 22 Kms away from the District Headquarters. His father was working in Sericulture Deptt. After passing 12th from Kupwara, he then joined A.M.U. Aligarh as a student of B.Sc (Hons) Bio-Chemistry. After completion of graduation, Mir did M.B.A. from the same University and passed out in 1992. Then Mir Shifted to Delhi and appeared in the Civil Services examination (CS), got through (1993 C.S. Examination, 1994 batch).
There was low figures of Kashmiri in the Union civil services. Although there were many young people who wanted to take the civil services examinations but there was nobody to guide. Abdul Ghani Mir’s pet project, ‘Initiative for Competition Promotion Jammu and Kashmir’ (ICP JK). A purely voluntary project, ICP JK helps young Kashmiris desirous of taking competitive examinations like the UPSC or Kashmir Administrative Service through counselling, orientation and even appropriate coaching.
When Mr. Mir was transferred to the Kashmir cadre in 2006 and took charge as senior superintendent of police (SSP) in Anantnag, he used to visit various colleges and universities in his spare time.
Besides, the social conditions in the state were such that many people didn’t have access to facilities which would prepare them for competitive examinations.
That is when Mr. Mir along with a few other friends decided to help young boys and girls on a purely volunteer basis. As more people clear their examinations, they also become part of this initiative. All of they devote their Sundays for ICP JK work.
ICP JK’s biggest success story happened soon enough when one of its protégé, Shah Faisal topped the all India UPSC examinations in 2009, and opted for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). His success at besting what is known as one of the toughest competitive examinations in India spurred a wave of IAS aspirants in Kashmir. And since then the number of Kashmiri Muslims taking and clearing the UPSC examinations has been steadily growing. While in 2009, along with Shah Faisal, three others had made the cut, in 2010, seven Kashmiris cleared the UPSC and in the following year, the number reached double digits.
Mir believes that more than anything else, stories such as this will bring more people into the national mainstream and will gradually bring about a change in the mindset.
Kupwara Times Team congrats him
