Anudeep tops 2017 civil services exam, Anu Kumari secures second rank
New Delhi, April 27: Anudeep Durishetty topped in 2017 Civil Services Exam, the results of which were released by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Friday evening.
According to an official release, Durishetty topped the Civil Services Examination while Anu Kumari secured the second rank and was the topper among the female candidates. Sachin Gupta secured the overall third rank.
According to the release, Durishetty belongs to other backward classes (OBC) category. He qualified the examination with Anthropology as his optional subject. He has graduated with B.E. (Electronics and Instrumentation) degree from BITS, Pilani in Rajasthan.
Meanwhile, Anu Kumari graduated with B.Sc (Hons) in Physics from Delhi University and has done MBA (Finance and Marketing) from IMT, Nagpur.
The top 25 candidates comprised 17 men and eight women.
Saumya Sharma, who appeared in the UPSC exams under the physically disabled category. secured an overall ninth rank.
The UPSC exam was held in June 2017 to recruit aspirants for as many as 980 posts in Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service, Central Services (Group A and Group B) and various other government departments.
Candidates who appeared in the written examination last year can check the details and the respective results through the official site of UPSC at upsc.gov.in.
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Hindu Ekta Sammelanams in Kerala mask sangh outreach through temple gatherings
Kochi: Temple premises in several parts of Kerala have been increasingly organizing programs calling for Hindu unity as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh celebrates its centenary year with outreach events across the country.
The News Minute reported that one such programme held on February 28 near Edappally in Kochi began with traditional performances, including chenda melam and a Thiruvathira dance at the Anjumana Devi temple ground, and transitioned into a “Hindu Ekta Sammelanam”. Organisers were quoted as saying that the objective of the event was “to bring together members of different Hindu communities by transcending caste, regional and linguistic differences.”
The RSS is celebrating its centenary year by nationwide series of conferences. These began on October 2, 2025. Reports indicate that more than one lakh such meetings are planned across India in 2026, with over 1,000 events scheduled in Kerala between February and March.
At the Edappally programme representatives of the Hindu Aikya Vedi and other spiritual leaders expressed their thoughts. Hindu Aikya Vedi state president R V Babu said the events are organised to strengthen a sense of unity among Hindus and encourage people to move beyond caste divisions.
Participants at the gathering included members of various organisations such as the Nair Service Society, Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam and representatives of other community groups. Some attendees said they viewed the events primarily as religious or cultural programmes organised around temples in their localities.
Criticizing the gatherings, leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said that temple premises are being used to advance a political agenda under the cover of religious and cultural programs. The party’s youth wing, the Democratic Youth Federation of India, has opposed some of the events at the local level, arguing that religious spaces should not become platforms for ideological mobilisation.
Some attendees clarified that they participated viewing the programmes as temple-based community events rather than political meetings. Others acknowledged that discussions during the sessions included references to electoral participation and broader social themes.
Similar objections were raised in Kozhikode district, where local CPI(M) workers opposed a gathering linked to a temple committee. He argued that religious spaces should not be used for political mobilization, when Kerala is expected to go to Assembly polls in 2026.
