SRINAGAR, SEPT 17: PDP president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday criticised the transfer of IPS officer Bushra Bano in West Bengal, alleging that the BJP was increasingly seeking to regulate the language and religious expressions used by Muslims.
Bano, a 2021-batch IPS officer who was serving as Additional Superintendent of Police in Kharagpur, was transferred on September 14 and posted as Deputy Commandant of the State Armed Police’s 4th Battalion. Her transfer came days after a video she posted about her UPSC journey drew criticism over her use of Islamic expressions including “Assalamu Alaikum”, “Inshallah” and “Jazakallah”.
The transfer has triggered a political controversy. Some organisations and social media users objected to the expressions used in Bano’s video, while opposition leaders questioned whether the controversy was connected to her subsequent transfer. The West Bengal government, however, has described the move as part of a routine administrative reshuffle, and the transfer order did not publicly cite the video as the reason.
Reacting to the development, Mehbooba Mufti said the controversy over Bano’s use of Islamic greetings was troubling. She argued that expressions such as “Assalamu Alaikum”, “Inshallah” and “Jazakallah” are ordinary religious phrases conveying peace, faith and gratitude.
“First our food, clothes and marriage, now even our vocabulary and our votes are being policed,” Mehbooba said in a post on X, while accusing the BJP of insecurity.
She also referred to remarks attributed to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari regarding Muslim voters and elections, describing them as part of a broader concern over political messaging directed at the community.
The controversy surrounding Bano has prompted debate over the balance between personal religious expression, the expected neutrality of public officials and administrative decisions involving serving officers. Reports indicate that Bano's transfer followed criticism of her video, but there is no publicly stated official confirmation that the video was the reason for the transfer.
