West Bengal Transfers IPS Officer Bushara Bano After Right-Wing Complaint Over Video
IPS officer Bushara Bano was transferred from Additional SP, Kharagpur, to Deputy Commandant, SAP 4th Battalion, after a right-wing outfit complained about her use of Arabic greetings in a video.
The West Bengal government has transferred IPS officer Bushara Bano, who was serving as Additional Superintendent of Police in Kharagpur, Paschim Medinipur district. She has been reassigned as Deputy Commandant of the SAP 4th Battalion.
The transfer was ordered through a notification dated September 14, which also covered the postings of two other officers of the West Bengal Police Service.
The move followed a complaint by a right-wing outfit, The Hindu Legal Fund, which wrote to the West Bengal Home Secretary about a video in which Ms. Bano is heard using Arabic expressions. In the clip, she reflects on her personal journey and is heard greeting viewers with "Assalamu Alaikum" before describing herself as a 2021-qualified IPS officer posted in Kharagpur. She recounts preparing for the UPSC examination after returning from Saudi Arabia, initially through self-study, and credits AMU's RCA and its library with helping her, saying she was sharing the experience so that others could benefit.
The outfit objected to her use of "Assalamu Alaikum," "Inshallah" and "Jazakallah," and to the absence of "Vande Mataram" or "Jai Hind" in her remarks. In a social media post, it argued that a serving officer representing the Indian State should maintain neutrality and use national expressions in public communication, and sought a review and action.
The transfer drew criticism from opposition leaders. Trinamool Congress MP and Krishnanagar representative Mahua Moitra called the action ridiculous, saying that transferring a Muslim IPS officer for saying "Assalamualaikum" and "Inshallah" was absurd, and criticised what she described as a climate of hate and bigotry in the country.
Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi said the phrases "Insha'Allah" and "JazakAllah" carry very ordinary meanings. He alleged that a television channel had first sensationalised the video and incited online trolling against the officer, and that the state government transferred her the very next day instead of standing by her.