Fact Check: Did The First Muslim IPS Wore Hijab Instead Of Khaki? Here’s The Truth Behind The Viral Claim

A viral photo claiming that it shows the first Muslim IPS or IAS officer who adopted the Islamic dress instead of the Khaki uniform is making the rounds of social media. But it has turned out to be fake.

Image (Facebook/ Rj Shiva Thakur)

New Delhi: A photo of a 14-year-old teen is being circulated through social media and some news media channels with the claim that she is the first Muslim IPS or IAS officer. The viral post gives a false communal angle to the photo saying that an Islamic dress code was adopted instead of the police dress code. The post has turned out to be false as the photo is of a girl who was made police superintendent for a day on Women's Day. In Facebook, this photo was shared with the caption "Muslim SP in Maharashtra becomes first IPS through Urdu medium! Who on the very first day left her police dress code and adopted an Islamic dress code !! Congratulations to the Shiv Sena Government !! The contribution of Shiv Sena to Gajhwa-e-Hind will also be commendable."

This was later picked up by some media outlets, and since then has been widely shared on Facebook and Twitter with the false claim. The same image can be found in the Times of India which tells the original story. The girl is a 14-year-old who was made the DSP for a day in Buldhana, Maharashtra in the spirit of Women's Day. The report dated 5th March 2020 said that the teen was Sahrish Kanwal from Zilla Parishad Urdu High School, Malkapur tehsil. She took over as DSP for a day. It was an initiative that was conceptualized by Buldhana collector Suman Chandra. It was a “weeklong initiative that allowed girls to experience the administration’s functioning and address other issues. The initiative aims to provide them with exposure towards governance and administration besides making them feel confident and more inspired towards their goal as well as motivate other girls,” the report said. A video was also shared in the report showcasing various activities that took place on that day.