Manoj Kumar Sharma (IPS, 12th Fail)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Manoj Kumar Sharma

• Manoj Kumar Sharma is an IPS officer of the 2005 batch of the Maharashtra cadre. He came to the limelight once again after the release of the film based on his real-life struggles, 12th Fail, in October 2023.

• He was born into a lower-middle-class Hindu family in Madhya Pradesh.

• According to him, his family was so poor that they could not afford to put a roof on the top of their house. As a result, Manoj spent many nights on the street with the homeless.

• Manoj was not academically sound when he was in school. He managed to get a third division in grades 9 and 10. He once claimed that he managed to secure a third division in grade 11 after cheating in the exams.

• Manoj did not pass class 12. In an interview, he said that he managed to pass only in Hindi out of all the subjects because a new Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) got posted in Morena, Madhya Pradesh, who instructed the schools and law enforcement agencies to maintain a strict vigil on students to not allow them to cheat.

• After he watched the authorities adhere to the instructions of the SDM, Manoj decided to become one himself by appearing for the civil services examinations conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC). Before getting motivated to become a civil servant, Manoj had planned to undertake a course in typewriting to apply for a low-ranking and low-paying job in the MP government to help his family out of poverty.

• He shifted to Gwalior, the capital of MP, after completing his school studies. He came to the city with just Rs. 500 and a bag full of clothes. There, he enrolled at the Maharani Laxmi Bai Government College of Excellence to pursue graduation. Since his family could not support him financially, he decided to drive a tempo to ferry passengers to earn money to sustain himself. Side-by-side, he started preparing to appear for the PCS exams. It was during his time in Gwalior that he came to know that there are posts greater than the ones offered by the PCS as a result of which he began preparing for the Union Public Service Commission – Civil Services Examination (UPSC-CSE).

• He once talked about an incident in which he revealed that his tempo was captured by the cops in Gwalior for which he visited the office of the Gwalior Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) to urge him to tell the cops to let go of his confiscated tempo.

• To prepare for the exams, he relocated to New Delhi, where he stayed at Mukherjee Nagar. In Delhi, to earn a living, he used to take the pets owned by wealthy families in Mukherjee Nagar out for a walk for Rs. 400.

• Thereafter, he began working as a peon in a library on a monthly salary of Rs. 300. According to him, working in the library helped him a lot as it gave him access to books that he was not able to buy and read before. He also took up a job as a washroom cleaner.

• After living in Delhi for some time, he approached the founder of Drishti IAS, Vikas Divyakirti. Vikas offered to give him tuition for CSE without taking money.

• Manoj passed his prelims on the first attempt; however, he did not succeed in clearing the mains.

• His performance deteriorated in the second and third attempts as he was unable to clear the prelims of the CSE.

• Manoj Kumar Sharma admitted in an interview that he had limited proficiency in English and struggled to understand the language. He recalled a specific incident during the Civil Services Examination (CSE) where he mistakenly wrote an essay on “Terrorism in India” instead of the required topic, “Tourism in India.” Sharma mentioned that he had memorized a terrorism essay before the exams.

• Manoj cleared the UPSC CSE on his fourth attempt and secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 121. While giving an interview, he said that an interviewer initially doubted his suitability for civil services, citing his past academic struggles and limited English proficiency. However, other interviewers agreed with his perspective after he shared his opinion.

• Thereafter, he joined the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) in Hyderabad, Telangana. There, he trained to become a police officer.

• On 22 August 2005, Manoj Kumar Sharma was commissioned as an IPS officer after completing his training.

  

• Shraddha, in an interview, said that her parents were initially reluctant to marry her to Manoj, despite him becoming a police officer, due to his assignment in the Maharashtra cadre. During this period, Shraddha was posted as a PCS officer in Nainital, Uttarakhand. To persuade her parents, Manoj lied by assuring them that upon their marriage and the presentation of their marriage certificate to the government, he would be granted a cadre transfer from Maharashtra to Uttarakhand on compassionate grounds.

• He went on to hold many important positions as a cop in Maharashtra.

  

• He gained recognition for helping the authorities maintain law and order in the city of Kolhapur as a Superintendent of Police (SP) by effectively addressing protests against unlawful highway toll tax collection and sugarcane price increases.

  

• He has assisted the Maharashtra police in undertaking many operations against the Naxals in areas like Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Gondiya, Yavatmal, Bhandara, and Nanded.

• He was instrumental in controlling the riot-like situation in Kolhapur after a Communist Party of India (CPI) member named Govind Pansare was killed by unidentified gunmen in 2015.

  

• He has served in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as a Deputy Inspector General (DIG).

  

• After completing his tenure as DIG CISF, he was appointed as the Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) of the Mumbai Police.

  

• In 2021, Anurag Pathak authored a biography, “Twelfth Fail: Hara Vahi Jo Lada Nahi.” In the book, Pathak talked about the life struggles of Manoj Kumar Sharma before becoming an IPS officer.

  

• Manoj found inspiration to face life’s challenges from reading biographies of figures like Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (Maxim Gorky) and Abraham Lincoln. During his UPSC preparation, he read multiple books penned by Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh.

• In October 2023, the film “12th Fail” directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra was released, with Vikrant Massey playing the role of IPS Manoj Kumar Sharma.

• Manoj began learning Hindi typing in school to secure a good job in his village and help his family.

• Along with his cousins, he worked on his father’s 3 bighas and his uncles’ 9 bighas of farmland.

• Growing up, Manoj enjoyed reading history books, which made him known among adults as a studious boy. His love for reading led him to become an excellent storyteller, and he even provided engaging commentary during local cricket matches.

• To earn extra income, Manoj tried tutoring children but found no success as he struggled with Math and English. He would go from house to house offering his tutoring services.

• He later took a basic job at Madhya Bharat Hindi Sahitya Sabha in Gwalior. Inspired by the poets he met there, Manoj read extensively and practiced public speaking regularly after hours which helped boost his confidence and speaking abilities.

• Manoj also earned money by walking dogs for rich people, earning Rs 400 per dog. He initially kept this job a secret from Shraddha, fearing that it would create a negative impact. However, one day she caught him and instead of feeling bad for him, started accompanying him to his job.

• After leaving his library job due to accusations of stealing Rs 1200, Manoj worked at a flour mill, where he both worked and slept in the same room.

• Manoj started keeping a diary in 10th grade, a practice he maintains to date as a way to express his emotions. He encouraged Shraddha too to join him in this habit during their student years.

• In an interview, Manoj shared how he tried to impress Shraddha when they were not married by making tea and learning to cook for her. He would often bring her roti and pickles. Even after marriage, he cooks for her to celebrate her career achievements. His menu is fixed which includes paneer, roti, raita, and pulao.

• While Manoj was good at memorizing answers and concepts, he found it hard to express his thoughts in UPSC exams. To improve his writing abilities, he used to write 40-50 pages daily.

• Manoj has a passion for kitchen gardening as he finds joy in growing vegetables and fruits at home. He often posts about his garden progress on his social media and engages his children in it too.

• He received the Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM) on the eve of the 75th Republic Day, i.e., 26 January 2024. ^[3]NDTV

• In March 2024, he took to social media to announce his promotion to the rank of Inspector General (IG) from Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in the Maharashtra Police. The promotion was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

• In September 2024, Manoj officially took over the rank of Inspector General of the Maharashtra Police.