As the controversy surrounding Maharashtra cadre trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkars OBC and disability certificates continues to escalate, social media platforms have become inundated with allegations of fraudulent use of reservations by numerous bureaucrats across India. Detailed threads on X (formerly Twitter) have emerged, accusing many officers from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Revenue Service (IRS), and Indian Police Service (IPS) of benefiting from economically weaker sections (EWS) or disability quotas despite allegedly being ineligible.Allegations Against IPS Anu BeniwalOne notable accusation targets Anu Beniwal, an IPS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre. Social media users shared a screenshot of an Instagram post from Anu Beniwals account, alongside a list of individuals who cleared the 2021 UPSC civil services exam (CSE). The post implied that despite being the child of an IPS officer, Anu utilised the EWS quota to secure her position.The Instagram screenshot depicted Anu in her police uniform, pointing to a plaque listing IPS officers from the 1989 batch, with the name “Sanjay Baniwal” clearly visible. Social media posts claimed this individual was Anu Beniwals father. The list of selected CSE candidates indicated the EWS category against Anu Beniwals name, further fueling the controversy.4) Anu Beniwal (IPS)Quota - EWSHer father was also an IPS officer, and they themselves have been selected through the EWS quota. It is strange that despite being the child of an IPS officer, they were selected under the EWS quota. pic.twitter.com/YddCWpHNDN— Ayussh Sanghi (@ayusshsanghi) July 15, 2024Questions arose regarding Anu Beniwals eligibility for the EWS quota, particularly given her previous position as a DANIPS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu Police Service) officer before being selected into IPS.UpdateAnu Beniwal was in DANIPS before joining IPS. She resigned from DANIPS then joined IPS. Is DANIPS officer eligible for EWS @khurpenchh @VivekGa54515036 @333maheshwariii @sanjg2k1 @555aashuu pic.twitter.com/WuPT3QKB1p— Puspesh Pallav (@PuspeshPallav) July 15, 2024Who is Anu BeniwalAnu Beniwal, hailing from Delhi, is a 2022 batch IPS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, currently posted in Gwalior. She cleared the civil services exam in 2021. On July 14, 2024, Beniwal posted a picture with her parents on social media, noting that despite their inability to complete school education, they encouraged her to pursue her dreams.Im extremely proud of my mummy papa who couldnt even complete their school education but pushed me to fulfill my dream.Im proud of their journey of battling the worst of the health challenges and still managing to smile for my happiness. 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/CM9dc0UzTN— Anu Beniwal (@AnuBeniwalIPS) July 14, 2024This statement raised questions about her fathers alleged IPS status. To address the rumours, a news house India Today conducted a fact-check and spoke with Anu Beniwal, who dismissed the social media claims as false. She confirmed that while her fathers name is Sanjay Beniwal, he is not an IPS officer. She explained that her father had been ill for many years, suffering from hearing and heart issues.Anu Beniwal further clarified that her father had started a small button factory years ago, which her uncle managed due to her fathers health. She added that her immediate family did not own any land or property and that she was raised by her uncle.An online live interaction with UPSC aspirants in January 2022 also confirmed that Beniwal mentioned her parents could not finish their education.Identifying Sanjay BaniwalAnu explained that the “Sanjay Baniwal” on the plaque, whom she referred to as “Tauji” (uncle) in her Instagram post, is not her father. She noted that she archived the post following the controversy. She clarified that Sanjay Baniwal is from her village in Delhis Pitampura and that she calls him “Tauji” as a term of endearment. He inspired her significantly in her UPSC journey. Furthermore, she pointed out that her fathers surname is “Beniwal,” unlike the “Baniwal” used by the retired IPS officer.Sanjay Baniwal is a retired IPS officer from the 1989 batch of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre. His last position was Director General (Prisons) in Tihar Jail.EWS Quota EligibilityAddressing the allegations regarding her EWS quota eligibility, Anu Beniwal explained that she applied for the CSE 2021 under the EWS quota before the results of CSE 2020 were announced. Therefore, she did not hold a DANIPS post when she applied for the 2021 civil services exams. India Today corroborated this timeline. The CSE 2020 results were announced on September 24, 2021, while the application form for CSE 2021 (Preliminary) was notified on March 4, 2021, with the last date for application being March 24, 2021. Consequently, Beniwal could not have known her CSE 2020 results when applying for CSE 2021.
