The Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra accused senior Muslim officials in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) in West Bengal of discrimination. Regarding this issue, she sent a letter to the United Nations agency.
Moitra addressed the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, asserting that senior Muslim IAS and IPS officials were denied participation in official events related to visits by Home Minister Amit Shah, and that this was due to their religion.
Several days ago, Moitra raised this topic on social media, stating that Muslim IAS and IPS officials were excluded from the Home Minister's events in North Bengal. She named Siliguri Police Commissioner Vakara Ray, Javed Shamim, head of the West Bengal police special operations group, and IAS officer Khalil Ahmed.
Following the publication of this post, a complaint was filed against the TMC MP at Diamond Harbour, after which the cybercrime police summoned her for questioning.
In her letter to Professor Nicolas Levrard, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) special staff member on minority issues, Moitra claimed that during the Home Minister's trips in July and August, on three occasions, three senior officials were either asked to leave or were prohibited from participating in official events.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues is an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, whose task is to raise global awareness, identify obstacles, and protect the rights of national, ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities.
In her letter, she stated: 'These three officials have one common characteristic that distinguishes them from their colleagues who were allowed to stay—it is their religion.'
The TMC MP called on the Special Rapporteur to request information from the Indian government regarding the reasons for the alleged exclusion of these officials and the legal basis upon which such directives were issued.
She also asked the Special Rapporteur to urge the government to ensure that no official is excluded from official events on religious grounds, and that the police and security services fulfill their duties towards minorities without any discrimination.
In conclusion, the TMC MP appealed to the UN staff member to take any appropriate measures within his jurisdiction.