Ravinder Kumar Singhal, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who successfully completed the demanding Ironman triathlon, belongs to which Indian state cadre?

Introduction / Context:
This question links a notable achievement in endurance sports with an Indian civil service officer. Ravinder Kumar Singhal, an IPS officer, gained attention for successfully completing the Ironman triathlon, which combines swimming, cycling, and running over very long distances. Many general knowledge exams ask not just about the feat, but also about the officer’s state cadre. This tests both awareness of current affairs and careful reading of news stories.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Ravinder Kumar Singhal is an IPS officer.
• He completed the Ironman triathlon in a recognised international event.
• The options list four Indian states plus one extra distractor.
• We need to identify which state cadre he belongs to.

Concept / Approach:
The approach is straightforward recall. Such questions are based on static current affairs, especially sports related achievements by people in government service. News reports highlighted that Singhal is from the Maharashtra cadre and was posted in Thane at the time of his achievement. Therefore, among the options, Maharashtra is the correct choice. If you do not remember explicitly, a reasonable strategy is to think of states frequently mentioned with IPS officers in big urban postings and then confirm from your reading or revision notes.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the news article or note that an IPS officer named Ravinder Kumar Singhal completed the Ironman triathlon in Australia.Step 2: Remember that he was described as a Maharashtra cadre IPS officer, serving in Thane police or nearby postings.Step 3: Look at the given options: Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat.Step 4: Match your memory that it was indeed Maharashtra that was repeatedly mentioned in the reports.Step 5: Select Maharashtra as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this answer by cross checking with reliable news sources or government press releases on sports achievements by civil servants. They clearly state that Singhal is an IPS officer from the Maharashtra cadre who finished the Ironman triathlon at Busselton, Australia. None of the other states in the options are associated with this particular individual in those reports.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Karnataka is incorrect because there is no well known report that an IPS officer named Ravinder Kumar Singhal belongs to that cadre.Telangana is wrong because the news mentioned Maharashtra as his cadre, not the southern state of Telangana.Uttar Pradesh is also incorrect; although many IPS officers serve there, Singhal is not one of them.Gujarat is added as an extra distractor, but no reliable source connects him with the Gujarat cadre.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes recall the story but forget the exact state, guessing randomly among large or frequently mentioned states such as Uttar Pradesh or Karnataka. Another pitfall is mixing up different Ironman finishers or different civil servants who have run marathons or triathlons. To avoid this, it helps to maintain a short list of such notable achievements and revise which state or service each person belongs to before the exam.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is Maharashtra.