UPSC 2nd topper Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan from Jammu and Kashmir: All you need to know

New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir's Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan has secured second rank in the 2015 Civil Services Exam.

23-year-old Athar is an IIT graduate and hails from a south Kashmir village in Anantnag district.

In his first attempt in 2014, he had got Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) and is presently undergoing training in Indian Railways Institute of Transport Management, Lucknow.

Expressing satisfaction and happiness over his results, Khan said, “Many candidates from Kashmir are now trying for civil services, I think this is a positive trend.”

“My grandfather has been biggest motivation for me,” he asserted.

During his last attempt, Khan got 560 rank and was allotted Indian Railway Traffic Service.

He has a B Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Mandi.

Meanwhile, Athar's father Mohammed Shafi Khan said, "It gives me immense pleasure that my son did it against all odds. He was undergoing training at Lucknow for his IRTS and simultaneously he was preparing for the civil services exam again. His hard work has paid rich dividends. Allah has listened to our prayers.”

The first position was secured by Tina Dabi (roll no 0256747), followed by Aamir Ul Shari Khan Akthar (0058239) and Jasmeet Singh Sandhu (00105512) in second and third positions respectively.

In 2010, a Kashmiri doctor, Shah Faesal became the first Kashmiri to top the IAS selection list. Faesal was allotted the J&K cadre of the IAS and is presently posted as director of school education in Kashmir.

A total of 1,078 candidates, including 499 in General category, 314 belonging to Other Backward Class, 176 from Scheduled Caste and 89 from Scheduled Tribe, have been recommended for appointment to various central government services, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) said.

There are 172 other candidates in the waiting list.

The civil services examination is conducted by the UPSC annually in three stages-- preliminary,mains and interview-- to select candidates for the elite Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others.