West Bengal IPS officer Bushra Bano was transferred on Monday, days after a complaint was filed against her over the use of Urdu and Arabic greetings in a video about her journey into the civil services.
Bano, an officer of the 2021 batch, 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 her September 13 video, in which she spoke about her preparation for the Union Public Service Commission examination and encouraged civil service aspirants.
Complaint Over Assalamualaikum and Inshallah
The Hindu Legal Fund had complained to the West Bengal Home Secretary, objecting to Bano’s use of “Assalamualaikum,” “Inshallah” and “Jazakallah” in the video.
The group alleged 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.”
“She began with Assalamualaikum, used Inshallah, ended with Jazakallah and did not use Vande Mataram or Jai Hind,” the group said in a post on X, demanding an enquiry.
The complaint has triggered debate over whether civil servants should be expected to use particular religious or national expressions in 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.
She later worked as an assistant professor in Saudi Arabia before returning to India to prepare for the UPSC examination.
Bano credited Aligarh Muslim University’s Residential Coaching Academy with helping her preparation by providing study materials, library access and test series.
In 2018, she cleared the UPSC examination with the 277th rank and was allotted the Indian Railway Traffic Service. However, she did not join because she was pregnant with her second child.
She appeared for the examination again the following year and secured the 234th rank, earning selection to the Indian Police Service.
Other Police Transfers Announced
Bano was allotted the West Bengal cadre as a 2021 batch IPS officer. She began her career as an Assistant Superintendent of Police in Hooghly Rural and was promoted to Additional Superintendent of Police in June.
The state government also transferred Partha Ghosh as Additional SP, Kharagpur, and Subhendu Mondal as Additional Deputy Commissioner in the Chandannagar Police Commissionerate.
