Faridabad constable trainee clears CDS, to join Army as lieutenant

Priyanshu, 23, from Sonipat, cleared CDS on his seventh attempt and will begin 1.5 years of training at IMA Dehradun from January 2026.

A 23-year-old trainee constable of the Faridabad police, Priyanshu, is set to join the Indian Army after securing an all-India rank of 13 in the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination held in April this year. Originally from Gohana in Sonipat, Priyanshu will undergo 1.5 years of rigorous training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, from January next year before being commissioned as a lieutenant.

Priyanshu balanced duty and CDS prep, inspired by late Capt Vikram Batra and his NCC experience at Chandigarh’s Air Squadron, he said. (HT)

Faridabad police commissioner Satender Kumar Gupta met him on Monday to congratulate him personally. “He has become a source of motivation for all the young personnel in the Haryana police force,” Gupta said.

Priyanshu, currently under training and deployed for guard duties at the Faridabad police lines, said, “This was my seventh attempt at CDS. I also cleared the Staff Selection Commission exam for appointment as a sub-inspector in the Central Industrial Security Force, the result of which was declared on Diwali day. However, my childhood dream was to join the Army, for which I kept preparing even after becoming a constable.”

He will be the first in his family to join the armed forces and the first to wear khaki. “During school days in Sonipat, I only knew about the recruitment of soldiers as we were village boys. However, after joining college in Chandigarh in 2020, I became part of the NCC. Our commanding officer, a wing commander, motivated me to prepare for the CDS exam,” he said.

Priyanshu added that his inspiration deepened after learning about Captain Vikram Batra (PVC, posthumous), who had also been part of the 1 Chandigarh Air Squadron NCC unit, the same as Priyanshu’s.

He said balancing CDS preparation with police training was difficult. “I used to get up at 4am, study for two hours, then attend physical training from 6.30am for several hours, perform my duties, and study again,” he said.

His father, Roshal Lal, 57, is a Haryana government labour inspector in Sonipat, while his mother, Sukhvinder Kaur, 49, is a homemaker. His elder brother, Mohit Saini, 26, is preparing for state-level competitive exams.