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- Water Issues in Lahuria village, UP for 75 yrs
- New IAS Divya steps in, delivers tap water
- MLA not invited in Jal Ceremony
- MLA complains to CM, Divya transferred.
- Pipeline vandalized by unknown men
- Water stops again.
- She Resigned after put on Wait list
Well, that's India for you😭
India's Got Talent: IIT/IIM/Ex-London Trader IAS Divya Mittal Resigns
(a) Brought water to a hilltop village in UP after 75 yrs (b) Village elders blessed her; politicians hated her (c) Rewarded with transfer to a desk job for file-pushing.
Guide 101: How to Derail India
a. Lahuria Dah, a semi-arid village in Mirzapur, UP suffered from water scarcity since independence. Villagers depended on a distant reservoir and a broken well to fetch muddy water. Ministers, MPs and MLAs gave only fake promises for 75 years to grab votes.
b. Divya Mittal, IIT Delhi, IIM Bangalore, Ex-JP Morgan Exotic Derivatives Trader in London returned to India and joined IAS (AIR 68).
With help from local admin, she achieved victory in a technically complex project, and brought the water pipeline to the village. “Jai Hind,” Divya wrote on X to share the news.
c. At the jal pujan ceremony on Aug 30, 2023, village elders who had never seen fresh water flowing from a tap got emotional and gave their blessings to Divya Mittal.
A local political functionary wrote to the UP chief minister that the area’s MP/MLA were not invited to the jal pujan (to take all the credit.)
d. Two days later, Divya’s transfer orders were issued, and she was put on a “wait-list” with no posting from Sept 2023 to Feb 2024.
The village celebrations turned into a disappointment. Meanwhile, the local goons damaged the pipeline, cutting off water supply again.
e. Normally, the “wait-list” would deliver the right message to an officer to “stay within limits.” But Divya was not ready to bow under pressure.
In July 2025, as the DM of Deoria, in a meeting chaired by a sitting MP, Divya said on camera that no minister, MP, or MLA has the authority to push an officer’s transfer (which must be governed by rules, not influence.)
f. UP Minister S.P. Shahi publicly responded that officers should not be lecturing to elected representatives on where the boundaries lie.
In hindsight, one can see Divya’s fate was decided the moment she spoke on the politicians’ “power to transfer,” which is their real weapon to teach a lesson to officers.
g. On May 3, 2026, UP carried out a reshuffle of 38 IAS officers. Divya was transferred as Special Secretary, Revenue, Lucknow.
Special Secretary has no decision-making authority. They share files, make notes, drafts, and replies. Files go up to the Secretary, Principal Secretary, and Minister, who hold the power to bring change.
On Aug 30, 2026, exactly 3 years after the jal pujan in Lahuria Dah, Divya Mittal resigned.
The Mafia Never Forgets
In Italy, there is an old saying: “The mafia never forgets, never forgives.” In India, the system does not argue with you. It simply breaks your spirit to be a changemaker.
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