Director General of Police Mahesh Bhagwat has tirelessly built a free mentorship network that has helped thousands of civil services aspirants achieve their dreams, with hundreds of his mentees securing top ranks in recent UPSC examinations. This remarkable initiative showcases the power of selfless guidance and community support.
Director General of Police Mahesh Bhagwat, a beacon of selfless service, continues to uplift thousands of civil services aspirants across India through his remarkable, entirely free mentorship program. What began eight years ago as a humble initiative has blossomed into a nationwide network, celebrating unprecedented success in some of the country's most competitive examinations.
In the UPSC Civil Services 2025, an astonishing 331 out of 958 selected candidates, more than one in three, were guided by his team. The impact is even more profound in the Indian Forest Service (IFS), where over half — 84 out of 148 successful candidates in 2025 — credited Bhagwat’s mentorship. For three consecutive years, from 2023 to 2025, the All India Rank 1 in the IFS emerged from his groups, a testament to the program's effectiveness. His dedication also extends to the UPSC Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) examination, where 66 of 459 selected candidates in 2024, including those with All India Ranks 2, 5, 13, 20, and 35, benefited from his guidance.
Despite his ascent to the highest rank in the Telangana police as Director General in April 2026, DGP Bhagwat's commitment remains unwavering. His early morning alarms still ring, and his WhatsApp groups continue to buzz with aspiring civil servants. His journey into mentorship is deeply personal, stemming from his own experiences as a village boy from Pathardi, Ahmednagar. He recalled battling an 'inferiority complex about English' due to his rural background. A pivotal moment arrived when he learned of a senior who cleared UPSC in Marathi and Bhushan Gagrani, who achieved All India Rank 3 writing entirely in his mother tongue. This ignited a realization: 'That is when I realised, we can do something. Opportunities are there.'
After graduating from Government Engineering College, Pune, Bhagwat courageously resigned from a well-paying job at Tata Motors before his UPSC prelims results were even declared, driven by his dream. He cleared the examination, joining the IPS in 1995, never forgetting the profound impact of small acts of guidance he received.
The genesis of this expansive network traces back to Nitish Pathode, now an IRS officer, who created a WhatsApp group in 2015 to support friends preparing for the UPSC personality test. Mahesh Bhagwat was among the first mentors invited, proving 'very helpful,' as Pathode attests. What began as a group for Maharashtra candidates swiftly evolved. Today, it assists hundreds, with approximately 80% of successful Maharashtra candidates in UPSC being part of this network. Recognizing its potential, Bhagwat expanded it into an all-India network, first for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh aspirants.
Bhagwat's meticulous approach focuses on the UPSC personality test, recognizing its crucial 275 marks. He dedicates significant time to each candidate, meticulously reviewing their Detailed Application Form (DAF) — a key document that often forms the basis for initial interview questions. He emphasizes, 'The interview does not start with national or international events. It starts with your DAF.' He provides individual sessions, often lasting 45 minutes to an hour, even amidst his demanding police schedule. Lakshmi Priya, who scored an exceptional 240 out of 300 in the Indian Forest Service personality test, credits Bhagwat’s guidance during a DAF discussion, which he conducted while traveling. Tejaswini Singh highlights the invaluable access to serving officers, offering 'real-world examples and insights into their workings that is not found elsewhere.' Ishita Kishore, All India Rank 1 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination, found more than interview preparation; she discovered a supportive community. She notes, 'This is not a commercial programme. It's not a market. It's a community,' emphasizing the 'trust gap' it fills amidst a sea of coaching institutes.
The scale of Bhagwat's selfless work is truly remarkable. Shubham Aggarwal, Director of Vidyapeeth IAS, estimates that with around 3,000 students, Bhagwat foregoes approximately Rs 15 lakh per month by offering his mentorship entirely free, choosing public service over commercial gain. This monumental effort is not solitary. A dedicated team of nearly 30 mentors has organically rallied around him. Dr. Shailendra Deolankar, Director of Higher Education in Maharashtra, who holds a PhD and has authored 22 books, handles global affairs and foreign policy, conducting extensive weekly sessions. He praises Bhagwat as 'a true teacher in police,' viewing his mentorship as a vital 'intellectual investment' in India's future leaders. The network extends beyond civil services, encompassing CAPF groups with retired and serving officers from various forces. Even Bhagwat’s wife, a forest service officer, contributes, and former successful candidates, like Shreyas Srivastava (Rank 9, IFS 2020), now return as mentors, embodying a powerful 'pay-it-forward' model. Bhagwat's recruitment philosophy is clear: 'We don't want anyone commercial. Even if they run paid classes elsewhere, for this interview preparation, it is free.'
While statistics paint an impressive picture, the depth of Bhagwat's compassion shines through in stories like that of Devanand Telgote, an IIT Bombay graduate. During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, Devanand contracted severe COVID-19. Bhagwat orchestrated his airlifting to Hyderabad, visited him regularly in the ICU, and even advocated with the UPSC for a video-conferenced personality test, a first for the commission. Though Devanand's journey has faced immense challenges, Bhagwat remains a steadfast support. Devanand expresses profound gratitude: 'The programme and especially all kinds of help provided by Bhagwat Sir have been the fulcrum on which my success relied. Sir provided constant motivation even in miserable situations like COVID-19 or failures at the interview stage.' As Lakshmi Priya aptly states, 'He is also there for those who don't make it. He dedicatedly motivates people all the time.'
Bhagwat's commitment to upliftment extends far beyond exam halls. Since 2017, through 'Operation Smile,' he runs worksite schools for children of migrant workers at brick kilns, ensuring they receive an education instead of being subjected to child labor. As CID chief, he successfully rescued 900 bonded laborers and children, repatriating them to their homes. He sees a common thread in both endeavors: 'Who gets an opportunity? And who gets to decide?' This question encapsulates his life's work – widening access to opportunities for all. Even after his promotion to Director General of Police in April 2026, his dedication to mentorship remains an unchanged, inspiring routine, solidifying his legacy as a true changemaker.
Source: The Better India