West Bengal Police have registered a case against news outlet Maktoob over social media posts reporting Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra’s allegations that senior Muslim IAS and IPS officers were excluded from meetings and official duties during Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visits to the state.
The FIR was lodged at Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police Station on September 19 following a complaint by Saurav Banerjee. It names “Unknown1” as the accused and does not identify any Maktoob journalist or editor. The case relates to a post on Maktoob’s X account and another on its YouTube channel. Police have described the content as false, calling it “entirely fabricated” and “malicious” in a letter to X.
The FIR alleges the posts contained objectionable material that could promote enmity, outrage religious feelings, cause public mischief and amount to defamation under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. These remain allegations and have not been proven in court.
Police have sought account creation, login and device details linked to the @MaktoobMedia X account for the period February 1–5, 2026—dates that predate both the FIR and the events reported. Maktoob has questioned the request. Separately, Meta removed a related Instagram graphic carousel in India on September 19 after a legal demand under IT Rules.
Moitra first raised the claims on September 1, alleging that officers including Siliguri Police Commissioner Syed Waqar Raza, STF chief Jawed Shamim and IAS officer Khalil Ahmed were deliberately kept out of border security, law-and-order and protocol duties during Shah’s July and August visits.
She has since approached the National Commission for Minorities, which on September 21 sought a report from the West Bengal government within 10 days, and has also written to a UN Special Rapporteur. An earlier FIR had been filed against Moitra herself over her original post. The allegations remain disputed and unadjudicated.
This story was originally published in muslimmirror.com.
