UPSC rank holder narrates incident of domestic violence by in-laws

As the UPSC results were declared, Shivangi Goyal, a resident of Hapur district in UP rejoiced as she secured 177th rank in the entire country. But her journey toward success was not easy and was rooted in difficulties.

As per the reports by India Today, Shivangi is married and is a mother of a seven-year-old daughter. However, she had been subjected to domestic violence and harassment by her in-laws, after which she started to live with her parents in Pilkhuwa, Hapur. Her divorce case with her husband is also under process.

Narrating her experiences, Shivangi said that no one should be afraid and remain silent if any atrocities are discharged upon them by their in-laws.“I want to give a message to those married women in a society that if anything wrong happens to them at their in-laws' house, they should not be afraid. Show them that you can stand on your own feet. Women can do anything they want. If you study well and work hard, you can become an IAS officer,” said Shivangi.

Shivangi mentioned that qualifying for the examination was a dream come true for her. She wanted to become an IAS officer even before her marriage and had appeared twice for the UPSC examinations. However, she could not crack the exams back then and was later married. As she continued to face domestic violence from her in-laws, she returned to her maternal home with her seven-year-old daughter.

Shivangi credits her success to her daughter Raina and her parents who were extremely supportive throughout her journey. To clear UPSC, she did self-study with sociology as her primary subject.