Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has written to the UN alleging that senior Muslim IAS and IPS officers in West Bengal were excluded from official events during visits by Home Minister Amit Shah based on their religion.
Reader brief
Through the Reader lens: Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra has complained to a United Nations special rapporteur regarding the alleged exclusion of senior Muslim IAS and IPS officers from official programs in West Bengal. Moitra claims these officers were sidelined during Home Minister Amit Shah's visits due to their religion. She specifically cited three senior officers, including a police commissioner and an IAS official, and requested the UN to seek clarification from the Indian government on the matter.
What to watch next
- Potential response from the Indian government regarding the allegations.
- Any actions taken by the UN special rapporteur in response to the letter.
- Legal proceedings involving Mahua Moitra and the cyber crime complaint filed against her.
What was said3
Attributed, verbatim. Every quote is checked against the article it came from. One that does not match is not shown.
Mahua Moitra
3 quotes“On three separate dates, across two official visits and in two cities, three senior officers were asked to leave, or told not to attend, events at which their presence was integral to the business being transacted, while their counterparts of other faiths took part as usual. The one factor these three officers share, and the one factor that sets them apart from the colleagues who were permitted to remain, is their religion”
In the article
…IAS and IPS officers in West Bengal. The senior Lok Sabha MP has also stated that Muslim bureaucrats are kept out of events involving Union Home Minister Amit Shah and that the discrimination is based on religion. “ On three separate dates, across two official visits and in two cities, three senior officers were asked to leave, or told not to attend, events at which their presence was integral to the business being transacted, while their counterparts of other faiths took part as usual. The one factor these three officers share, and the one factor that sets them apart from the colleagues who were permitted to remain, is their religion ,” Ms. Moitra’s letter sent on Thursday (September 17, 2026) stated. In the letter, she has also attached evidence she has collected of the alleged discrimination and has made multiple social media posts about the…
“When the senior-most Muslim officers of the State - officers who have risen through a merit-based national civil service and who command thousands of personnel - are kept out of the room in which security is discussed with the Union Home Minister, the message received down the chain of command is unmistakable: that a person’s religion is a legitimate proxy for suspicion”
In the article
…seven instances in two months during Mr. Shah’s visits to West Bengal where Muslim IAS and IPS officers were removed from meetings where, she said, they should have been present based on their duties and designations. “ When the senior-most Muslim officers of the State - officers who have risen through a merit-based national civil service and who command thousands of personnel - are kept out of the room in which security is discussed with the Union Home Minister, the message received down the chain of command is unmistakable: that a person’s religion is a legitimate proxy for suspicion ,” Ms. Moitra’s letter also added. She has asked NCM chairman Harjit Singh Grewal to take immediate action into the matter and help stop such discrimination in the future. On September 1, 2026, Ms. Moitra first posted…
“इन तीनों अधिकारियों में एक बात समान है, और यही बात उन्हें उन साथियों से अलग करती है जिन्हें बने रहने की इजाज़त दी गई थी और वह है उनका धर्म.”
In the article
…के एक स्वतंत्र विशेषज्ञ होते हैं. इनका काम वैश्विक स्तर पर जागरूकता बढ़ाना, बाधाओं की पहचान करना और राष्ट्रीय, जातीय, धार्मिक तथा भाषाई अल्पसंख्यकों के अधिकारों की रक्षा करना है. उन्होंने चिट्ठी में आरोप लगाया, " इन तीनों अधिकारियों में एक बात समान है, और यही बात उन्हें उन साथियों से अलग करती है जिन्हें बने रहने की इजाज़त दी गई थी और वह है उनका धर्म. " TMC सांसद ने स्पेशल रैपोर्टेयर से आग्रह किया कि वे भारत सरकार से उन अधिकारियों को कथित तौर पर बाहर रखने के कारणों और उस अधिकार के बारे में जानकारी मांगें जिसके तहत ऐसे निर्देश जारी किए गए थे. उन्होंने स्पेशल…
Sources2
- [1]The HinducriticalMahua Moitra alleges discrimination against Muslim bureaucrats
- [2]Aaj Takcritical'बंगाल में मुस्लिम IAS-IPS के साथ भेदभाव', महुआ ने UN से की शिकायत