Sword in Bihar, Mace in Uttar Pradesh: The country’s police force seems bent on the Hindu-Muslim divide
NEW DELHI — Two police officers in two different states stepped out of their assigned duty roles to take part in religious processions in uniform — one wielding a sword, the other a mace. Videos of both went viral. But only one has so far faced action: a formal show-cause notice served on him.
In Muzaffarpur’s Kanti police station area in Bihar, Sub-Inspector Mustakim Khan was filmed brandishing a sword in uniform during a Muharram procession on Friday. After the clip went viral on social media, Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police Kantesh Kumar Mishra confirmed that Khan had been served a show-cause notice and would be sent to the police lines — a posting typically used to sideline an officer pending inquiry. Sub-divisional Police Officer Suchitra Kumari said a formal probe has been ordered under the SSP’s direction, though she cautioned that “exact details will be available only after an investigation is conducted,” Press Trust of India (PTI) said, noting that the video’s authenticity could not be independently verified.
The Other Side
In January 2025, a similar video surfaced from Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, where Circle Officer Anuj Chaudhary — a former Olympic wrestler already well known locally — was seen wielding a mace, or gada, in uniform during a Gada Yatra procession. The clip drew public criticism, including from former IPS officer Amitabh Thakur, who accused Chaudhary of violating police conduct rules and called for action. Reports at the time said the matter had “sparked debate” and prompted scrutiny, but Chaudhary faced no show-cause notice and was not sent to police lines. He responded to critics defiantly on social media rather than apologising. Months later, in May 2025, he was transferred from Sambhal to Chandausi in what was reported as a routine departmental reshuffle — not a disciplinary transfer — and continued serving in his rank.
The Same Act, Two Different Tracks
On paper, the conduct alleged in both cases is nearly identical: a uniformed officer, on or near duty, displaying a weapon during a religious procession — exactly the kind of optics police conduct rules are meant to prevent, regardless of which festival is involved. Yet the procedural response diverged sharply. Khan’s case moved within days to a show-cause notice and a move to police lines, with an explicit departmental probe. Chaudhary’s case, despite public criticism and calls for action from a former IPS officer, did not produce any publicly confirmed show-cause notice, and he continued in his post for months afterward.
That contrast is now fuelling questions about whether Bihar Police acted more swiftly against Khan because of his religious identity and the festival involved, compared with how Uttar Pradesh authorities handled a Hindu officer’s conduct during a Hindu procession months earlier.
Apples-to-Apples Case of Bias
A few caveats are worth noting before treating this as a clean apples-to-apples case of bias. The two incidents occurred in different states, under different police hierarchies, more than a year apart, and involved officers of different ranks — Khan is a Sub-Inspector, Chaudhary an IPS-track Circle Officer with a national profile as a wrestler, which may have shaped how each department weighed political and public-relations fallout. It is also possible that the authorities in Uttar Pradesh did take some quieter administrative action that was not widely reported, or that Bihar’s swifter public notice reflects only that this case is fresher and still unfolding. Khan’s probe has not concluded, so it is too early to say how his case will ultimately be resolved. Whether the differing pace and visibility of the two responses reflects a genuine double standard, or simply different states, ranks and timelines, is something only a comparison of the outcomes — once Khan’s inquiry concludes — will be able to settle.
