Meet man who was once a school teacher, worked as BDO, SDM, later cracked UPSC exam to become IAS, his AIR was…; he is now posted at..

New Delhi: Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh has recently been in the national spotlight due to ongoing unrest. Tensions in Sambhal have been high since November 19, when a local court ordered a survey of the mosque. Clashes between protestors and police over the court-ordered survey of the Jama Masjid resulted in four deaths. The survey was initiated following a petition claiming the mosque site was originally a Harihar temple. A stone-pelting incident occurred on November 24 during the ASI’s examination of the Mughal-era mosque, resulting in the deaths of four individuals and injuries to several others, including officials and locals.
In response to the situation, Sambhal’s District Magistrate (DM), Dr. Rajender Pensiya, took decisive action, implementing a “no entry” order for outsiders in the district.
Meet man who was once a school teacher, worked as BDO, SDM, later cracked UPSC exam to become IAS, his AIR was…; he is now posted at..
To uphold peace and order, the Sambhal district administration has extended the ban on the entry of outsiders until December 10. The extension came on a day a 15-member Samajwadi Party delegation was scheduled to visit Sambhal to gather information about the violence that broke out over a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. But who is Dr. Rajender Pensiya? Read more about him.

#WATCH | Sambhal, UP: On the current situation in the area, DM Rajender Pensiya says, “Section 163 of the BNS has been imposed. Everyone is urged not to come here before December 10. The situation is peaceful. Shops have reopened. There is no need to worry but we have issued this… pic.twitter.com/aRx93aCaIE
— ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2024

Born on August 10, 1983, Dr. Rajender Pensiya hails from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan. He completed his graduation in Commerce. In 2005, he started his career as a teacher in Category 3. While working as a government teacher, he continued his preparations for further achievements.
Rajender decided to pursue a career in civil services and dedicated himself to UPSC exam preparation. Although he faced failure in his first attempt, he succeeded in clearing the Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) exam, earning a posting as a BDO. This achievement significantly boosted his confidence and motivated him to work even harder towards his ultimate goal.
BDO Rajender Pensiya continued his preparation for the RAS examination, and his hard work paid off. In 2011, he achieved success in the RAS exam, securing the 8th rank. This accomplishment led him to reach the position of Deputy Collector.
However, Rajender’s dream of becoming an IAS officer was still not fulfilled. Even after becoming an SDM, he continued his preparation for the UPSC examination. It is reported that IAS officer Rajender Pensiya attempted the UPSC exam four times but faced failure each time. In 2015, Rajender achieved success in his fifth attempt. He secured the All India Rank (AIR) 345 and cleared the UPSC exam, which led to his selection for the IAS position.
After completing his training at LBSNAA on May 3, 2016, Rajender Pensiya assumed the charge of Assistant Collector in Mirzapur on May 4, 2016. As per the Zeenews Hindi report, he served as a Joint Magistrate in Etawah from September 30, 2017, to October 6, 2017. Following this, he held the same position in Mathura until February 27, 2019.
Subsequently, Rajendra Pensia served as Chief Development Officer (CDO) in Farrukhabad until March 2, 2021. He then took on the role of Vice Chairman of the Agra Development Authority, a position he held until June 25, 2022. After this, he was appointed Special Secretary in the Urban Development Department. Now, he is the DM and collector of Sambhal.