Mahua Moitra moves minorities panel over exclusion of Muslim officers in Bengal

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has approached the National Commission of Minorities (NCM) with a complaint alleging that Muslim IAS and IPS officers in West Bengal are being deliberately excluded from official proceedings, including events attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

In a letter sent on Thursday, September 17, 2026, to NCM chairman Harjit Singh Grewal, the senior Lok Sabha member said the exclusion of these officers was based on their religion and sought immediate intervention to prevent such discrimination in future. She is learnt to have attached documentary evidence supporting her allegations.

The letter cites at least seven instances over a two-month period during Mr. Shah's visits to the State in which, she claims, Muslim IAS and IPS officers were removed from meetings they should have attended given their duties and designations. Describing a pattern, she wrote that on three separate dates, across two official visits and in two cities, three senior officers were either asked to leave or told not to attend events central to the business being transacted, while colleagues of other faiths participated as usual.

Ms. Moitra argued that keeping the State's senior-most Muslim officers out of security discussions with the Union Home Minister sends a damaging signal down the chain of command, suggesting that religion is being treated as a ground for suspicion.

The MP first raised the matter on social media on September 1, 2026, naming three officers and alleging various forms of exclusion. In that post she claimed that Siliguri Commissioner Waquar Raza was barred from a welcome lineup, that DG STF Jawed Shamim was not invited to events, and that IAS officer Khalil Ahmed was made to leave. She also tagged the IAS and IPS associations, asking why they had not protested against the treatment of their colleagues.

Separately, Ms. Moitra said the Bishnupur police station in West Bengal has registered a complaint against her in connection with her first social media post on the issue, and that she has been summoned to appear before the police on Friday. She has indicated that during her questioning she will also seek answers about the recent transfer of IPS officer Bushra Bano.

Ms. Bano, who was serving as Additional Superintendent of Police in Kharagpur, Paschim Medinipur district, was moved to the post of Deputy Commandant, SAP 4th Battalion, on September 14. Her transfer followed objections from right-wing groups to her use of the phrases "Assalamu Alaikum", "Inshallah" and "Jazakallah". The move drew criticism from several political figures, including former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi.