Mahua Moitra moves UN rights body over 'exclusion of Muslim officers' from Amit Shah's Bengal events

TMC MP Mahua Moitra has approached the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues alleging that senior Muslim IAS and IPS officers in West Bengal were excluded from official events during Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visits to the state on account of their religion.

Moitra alleges exclusion of senior officers

In a letter to Prof Nicolas Levrat, Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Moitra alleged that three senior officers were either asked to leave or told not to attend official events on three occasions during Shah's visits in July and August.

She alleged that the officers were excluded while their counterparts of other faiths were allowed to participate.

"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," Moitra said in the letter.

Officers named in complaint

The TMC MP cited the cases of Siliguri Police Commissioner Waquar Raza, West Bengal Police's Special Task Force chief Jawed Shamim and senior IAS officer Khalil Ahmed.

Moitra tweeted about it a few days ago, following which a police complaint was lodged against her, and she was summoned to Diamond Harbour Police Station.

She described the alleged incidents as a pattern of "deliberate exclusion" and said such conduct could have implications for the confidence and security of minority communities.

Moitra seeks UN intervention

The TMC leader urged the Special Rapporteur to seek an explanation from the Government of India on the reasons and authority behind the alleged exclusion.

She also sought preservation of CCTV footage, tour diaries and other records related to Shah's visits.

Moitra cited provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in her complaint.