Facebook India's controversial public policy head Ankhi Das is leaving the company with immediate effect "to pursue her interest in public service", the social networking giant announced on Tuesday.

"Ankhi has decided to step down from her role in Facebook to pursue her interest in public service. Ankhi was one of our earliest employees in India and played an instrumental role in the growth of the company and its services over the last nine years," Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India, said in a statement.