This morning, nearly every headline writer has informed us of the religion of the incoming Intelligence Bureau chief. Having written a few thousand headlines in an earlier life, I do appreciate the need to “sell” one’s ware. More so, in an increasingly competitive world of internet-based hits and page views.

Why risk a boss’s wrath and miss the unique selling point, my former tribesmen might ask! Also, isn’t it true that Syed Asif Ibrahim is indeed a Muslim? So, what’s wrong in stating what is true?

Which is precisely my humble objection.

An officer is an officer. He’s either a capable one or he deserves to be ejected. Describing him as a “Muslim officer”, no doubt the first one in India’s premier investigating agency started in 1885 as a wing in the Indian Army, is being unfair on several counts.

First, to Ibrahim himself. After 35 years of service to the nation, why still be categorized in a facile manner as a Muslim, rather than on the pure dint of merit? It’s as if the government wanted to send a signal through him to Muslims in the country!

Next, by describing the IB director by his religion, we are being unfair to the organisation itself. As if the “hard core” of the organisation was cleansed of Muslims and senior Indian Police Officers (IPS) of additional director/special director rank tactfully kept away from reaching the zone of consideration. Unless refuted by keener IPS watchers, my information is that Ibrahim is the first IPS officer that any government ever had to consider for the post, and they did just that.

Remember that state directors-general of police and top guns of central police organisations, including those who are Muslims, aren’t laterally moved to head the IB. The norm, instead, is to pick an insider. So the typical director — those like Arun Bhagat, who was heading BSF/Delhi Police etc, being a bit of an exception — is the one who has been an additional director/special director-rank officer. Which is to say Muslim IPS officers in the past have not been in contention, and certainly haven’t been superseded.

Most important to me is the injustice done by such headlines to the idea of India. They are the reason why hardline Islamic organisations get a chance to raise a toast, often to the acute embarrassment of the “Muslim” officer concerned. Accept, and you’re damned. Don’t accept, and you are branded as swollen-headed and ungrateful to your brethren.

Such headlines also ignite the creative minds of the Hindutva brigade. What a chance to question the government and sow seeds of suspicion in the minds of the “mango man”!

Worse still, God forbid, if there is a massive intel failure, the “I-told-you-so” brigade will just have to dot the “i’s.”

All this apart, I do feel for at least four officers who haven’t been considered despite their seniority to Ibrahim. Ram Niwas Gupta (Himachal Pradesh, 1976 batch, born January 20, 1953) still had two months to superannuate. If he hadn’t been overlooked, he would have got a fixed tenure of two years that IB directors are now entitled to. So Gupta, despite being Ibrahim’s senior, loses a chance to serve for an additional one year and 11 months.

Similarly, V Rajagopal (AGMU, 1976 batch, born January 25, 1953). Another officer, Yashovardhan Azad (known also for his ebullient brother Kirti Azad, the cricketer) has been overlooked, too. The 1976-batch Madhya Pradesh officer is being moved to Cabinet Secretariat as secretary (security), the only job in the IPS besides R&AW secretary that the IAS have allowed to be described as “secretary.”

Azad will oversee the D-G of Special Protection Group and other VVIP outfits. Born on March 12, 1954, he will retire at the regulation age of 60. So he has notionally lost a term of nine extra months had he, instead of Ibrahim, been made head of IB. A fourth officer, S Jayaraman (West Bengal, 1977, born October 10, 1953) would have enjoyed almost an exactly similar tenure to that of Ibrahim (also Madhya Pradesh, 1977 batch, born September 9, 1953).

To return to the “Muslim” headlines one last time, my old professor, Mohd Amin, a Padma Bhushan, drilled the pain of the Indian Muslim in his very subtle way. “Bhai, every other friend is described as a 'friend.’ To ye 'Mohammedan’ friend kya hota hai?” he had once asked us in class.

Thank you for these values, Amin saheb. The Republic stands strong due to teachers like you. And congratulations, new IB chief. May you protect us from our western neighbour as your illustrious (Sikh!) predecessor, my old Stephanian senior, Nehchal Sandhu.

For the record, we’ve had nearly every top civil and judicial position occupied by Muslims: president, vice-president, chief justice of india, chiefs of armed forces, cabinet secretary, and chief election commissioner, just to point to a few. APJ Abdul Kalam, in his life as a scientist, knew where the nuclear bomb was.

Even our flagbearers on the cricket have been Muslims. So is it time the headlines stopped fussing about a captain’s religion?

Or do I already hear murmurs why there hasn’t been a “Muslim” prime minister or chief of army staff?

(Tweets @therohitbansal).