Islamophobia in India: Muslim IPS officer transferred after complaint over Islamic greetings
Kolkata: In a fresh instance highlighting the growing pressure on Muslims to conform to majoritarian norms in India, West Bengal Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Bushra Bano was transferred, days after a Hindutva group filed a complaint against her over her use of common Islamic greetings in a video recounting her journey into the civil services.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Bano, a 2021 batch officer, has been transferred from her post as Additional Superintendent of Police in Kharagpur and appointed Deputy Commandant of the State Armed Police.
The transfer came after she posted a video on September 13 in which she spoke about her preparation for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination and encouraged civil service aspirants.
Complaint over Assalamualaikum and Inshallah
The Hindu Legal Fund complained to the West Bengal Home Secretary, objecting to Bano’s use of “Assalamualaikum,” “Inshallah” and “Jazakallah” in the video and demanding an enquiry.
The group claimed that a serving officer representing the Indian state should maintain neutrality in public communication and use national expressions such as “Jai Hind” or “Vande Mataram.”
The complaint has triggered debate over whether civil servants should be expected to use particular religious or national expressions in their personal or public communication.
Bushra Bano’s journey to the IPS
Bano’s video focused on her personal and academic journey. Born in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj district, she completed a PhD in Management Studies from Aligarh Muslim University and cleared the National Eligibility Test for a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF).
In 2018, Bano cleared the UPSC examination with the 234th rank, earning selection to the IPS. She was allotted the West Bengal cadre as a 2021-batch officer. She credited Aligarh Muslim University’s Residential Coaching Academy with supporting her preparation by providing study materials, library access and test series.
She began her career as an Assistant Superintendent of Police in Hooghly Rural and was promoted to Additional Superintendent of Police in June.
