Divya Mittal's decision to quit the IAS after 13 years should worry Uttar Pradesh more than it should invite political speculation. A 2013-batch officer, she was only 42 and had a long administrative career ahead of her. Yet, on August 30, she chose to leave the service.

Mittal, who served as district magistrate of Mirzapur and Deoria, developed a reputation as a hands-on field officer. In Mirzapur, she was known for taking government schemes to remote areas and for her initiative to provide piped water to the inaccessible village of Lahuria Dah. She also held several development and administrative assignments.

Her farewell message, however, did not blame the government or allege political interference. She described the decision as her own. That makes it difficult to attribute her resignation to any single cause. But it also raises a larger question: why would an officer with a strong field record choose to leave the country's premier civil service in the middle of her career?

IAS Departures Raise Questions

Mittal is not an isolated case. Since 2017, several IAS officers of the Uttar Pradesh cadre have opted for voluntary retirement or resigned before completing their tenure. Among those who took VRS are Mohammad Mustafa, Amod Kumar, Rigzian Samphel, Renuka Kumar, Juthika Patankar, Vikas Gothalwal, and Anamika Singh. Vidya Bhushan, Abhishek Singh, S Muthu Shalini, and now Divya Mittal have resigned.

Their circumstances were different. Some had personal reasons, some sought opportunities outside government, and some faced career........

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