IPS Officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, whose life inspired the film "12th Fail" directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, has been promoted from Deputy Inspector General (DIG) to Inspector General (IG) in the Maharashtra Police.
In a tweet on the microblogging site X (formerly Twitter), Sharma expressed his gratitude to everyone for their support throughout his journey. He posted, "The journey that started from ASP has reached today to become IG by the order of the Government of India. Heartfelt gratitude to everyone for supporting me in this long journey."
Who is IPS Officer Manoj Sharma?
Manoj Sharma has previously worked in various capacities in Maharashtra, including Nagpur, Kolhapur, Nanded, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, and Mumbai. He has been serving in the Police Service of Maharashtra for several years and is known as a respected officer.
Adapted from Anurag Pathak's bestseller, "12th Fail" featured Vikrant Massey and Palak Lalwani and explored the lives of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma and IRS officer Shraddha Joshi. Sharma faced challenges in his UPSC civil service exam attempts, succeeding in his fourth try with an All India Rank (AIR) of 121. He became an IPS officer and previously served as an Additional Commissioner in Mumbai Police.
Hailing from Morena district in Madhya Pradesh, Sharma overcame a humble background, passing class 9 and 10 with a third division. Although he failed in all subjects except Hindi in his class 12 board exams, his love story with Shraddha Joshi blossomed during that time. Despite initial setbacks, Sharma proposed to Joshi, who accepted his proposal.
Sharma's journey to becoming an IPS officer was marked by hardships, including driving a tempo for income and sleeping on pavements at times. He also worked at a library in Delhi, which significantly aided his UPSC preparation.