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A woman Indian Police Service (IPS) officer in West Bengal has been transferred amid controversy over a video in which she used the Islamic greetings “Assalamu Alaikum” and “Inshallah”.
The state government, however, said the transfer was routine and that she had been given a new assignment in the “public interest”.
Bushra Banu was transferred just two and a half months after taking charge as Additional Superintendent of Police in Kharagpur. Under a state government order issued on September 14, she was appointed Deputy Commandant of the 4th Battalion of the State Armed Police.
The order cited “public interest” as the reason for the transfer. Questions arose after several Hindutva organisations objected to a video posted by Banu shortly before the transfer.
In the video, made for civil service aspirants, Banu shared her experience of preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination and becoming an IPS officer. She began by greeting viewers with “Assalamu Alaikum” and later spoke about the support she received from the Residential Coaching Academy (RCA) of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
Banu said she wanted to share her experience so that others could benefit from it. Praising government coaching centres, she said such institutions were helping minority, women and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students.
Encouraging more students to enrol in such centres, she said, “Inshallah”, more students would pass competitive examinations and serve the country.
Following the video, several right-wing social media accounts criticised Banu for using Islamic expressions. The critics argued that government officials should maintain neutrality in their public communications.
An organisation representing Hindus also reportedly lodged a complaint with West Bengal’s home secretary, according to Indian media reports.
The transfer has drawn questions from opposition politicians. Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi raised the matter with the IPS Association in a post on X, alleging that the state government had transferred Banu instead of standing by her.
Trinamool Congress legislator Kunal Ghosh said the government had the authority to transfer officials, but argued that an officer should not be punished for using words reflecting personal habits or beliefs if they were not unconstitutional or objectionable.
Banu, a native of Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh, holds a PhD from Aligarh Muslim University. After working for several years in the Gulf region, she began preparing for the civil service. She cleared the UPSC examination in 2021 and joined the IPS.
Her transfer has also prompted social media users to draw comparisons with Uttar Pradesh police officer Anuj Chaudhary, who has publicly spoken about his Hindu religious beliefs, with some questioning whether the same standards are being applied to religious expressions by government officials.
Sources: NDTV, BBC Bangla