IPS Bushra Bano’s Transfer Opens Floodgates of Criticism
IPS officer Bushra Bano, Additional SP Kharagpur (West Bengal), has been transferred days after she was trolled by the right wing groups for using Islamic greetings in a video recorded to inspire UPSC aspirants
The transfer of Bushra Bano, a 2020 batch IPS Officer Serving as Additional SP Kharagpur (West Bengal), days after she was trolled by right wing Hindu extremist groups has opened the floodgates of criticism.
The critics are also flooding the social media space with photos and videos showing various IPS and IAS officers from other faiths performing their respective religious rituals while on duty and in official uniform.
Bushra Bano’s Video
IPS officer Dr. Bushra Bano had cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination twice, securing All India Rank (AIR) 277 in 2018 and AIR 234 in 2020.
In a video which surfaced on September 13, 2026, the 2020 Batch IPS Officer Bushra spoke about how Aligarh Muslim University’s Residential Coaching Academy (RCA) helped her prepare for the UPSC Civil Services exams.
Bano said she was in Saudi Arabia and was a caring mother, She, however, decided to join the Civil Services, and hence returned to India. She said she joined AMU's RCA to prepare for the UPSC Civil Services exams, craked it and became a Police Officer.
In the video, Bushra used Islamic greetings Asslam o Alaikum, and phrases like Insha Allah and Masha Allah. This irked the right wing groups, and they shared her video, criticizing Bano for using Asslam o Alaikum and not using “Jai Hind” or “Vande Mataram”.
The BJP government in West Bengal did not cite any specific reason for Bano’s transfer. The state govt also transferred Partha Ghosh as additional SP, Kharagpur, and Subhendu Mondal as additional DC, Chandannagar Police Commissionerate along with her, saying the three officers have been "transferred in public interest".
“A Blantant Double Standard”
Bushra Bano’s transfer, however, is being linked to her video highlighting her success story and the significant role of AMU’s civil services coaching centre.
“IPS Bushra Bano left a comfortable life in Saudi Arabia, fought through two C-sections and four surgeries. She cleared UPSC twice while raising two children, and became an officer of the Indian Police Service. In a video about her journey and how AMU’s RCA helped her, she used the same words her community has used for centuries. Suddenly that’s “problematic.”
“Hindu officers say Namaste. Some say Jai Shri Ram. Sikh officers say Sat Sri Akal. Nobody loses sleep. But a Muslim woman IPS officer says Assalamualaikum, Inshallah and Jazakallah and the Hindutva outrage machine starts screaming. She was not issuing an official FIR and not addressing a press conference as the face of the state. She was talking about her life”, Muslim IT Cell wrote on X.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra while criticizing the BJP government termed Bushra Bano’s transfer a case of “blatant double standard”.
"One BJP govt showing off secular credentials at BRICS Summit by creating “prayer room”, another sidelines Muslim woman IPS officer Dr. Bushara Bano simply for saying “Assalamalaikum “ & “JazakAllah” - furthering hate spread by Godimedia tv. We are with you Bushara (sic)", Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra wrote on X.
Asking why such discomfort from a simple “Assalamualaikum”? Muslim Voice Cell wrote on X, “IPS officer Bushra Bano said “Assalamualaikum, InshaAllah, JazakAllah” in a video, and afterward, she was transferred. Meanwhile, during the oath-taking for the DGP position of senior IPS officer C.V. Anand in Telangana, Vedic chants echoed in the office.
“If questions can be raised about one officer’s religious words, then why isn’t the same standard applied in the other case? Hiding religious identity is not the duty of any officer. If an officer’s “Namaste” is considered normal, then “Assalamualaikum” should be just as normal. It’s inevitable to question Bushra Bano’s transfer—if rules exist, they should apply equally to everyone.”
एक “अस्सलामुअलैकुम” से इतनी बेचैनी क्यों?
— Muslim Voice Cell (@MuslimVoiceCell) September 15, 2026
IPS अधिकारी बुशरा बानो ने वीडियो में “अस्सलामुअलैकुम, इंशाअल्लाह, जज़ाकल्लाह” कहा और इसके बाद उनका तबादला कर दिया गया।
वहीं तेलंगाना के वरिष्ठ IPS अधिकारी C.V. आनंद के DGP पद की शपथ के दौरान कार्यालय में वैदिक मंत्रोच्चार हुआ।
अगर एक… pic.twitter.com/ynUBZmqsyN
Stressing that “being a Muslim in India is not anymore”, Ansar Imran SR, an influencer, wrote:
“…in the same country, when police officers in uniform massage the feet of Kanwar yatra pilgrims during the Kanwar procession, protocol is probably forgotten!
“When a police officer like Anuj Chaudhary joins a Hindu religious procession in uniform holding a mace, forget transfer or action—on the contrary, he gets promoted!
“But the moment a Muslim woman IPS officer like Bushra Bano offers a salaam, everyone's sentiments are hurt, and she's promptly punished! Welcome to this new India of Modi BJP!!!” he wrote.
भारत में अब मुस्लिम होना शायद आसान नहीं है!
— Ansar Imran SR (@ansarimransr) September 15, 2026
आईपीएस बुशरा बानो को केवल इसलिए ट्रांसफर कर दिया गया कि उन्होंने एक कार्यक्रम में "अस्सलामुअलैकुम" बोल दिया था!
बस फिर क्या था हिंदूवादी हो गए आहत और भाजपा सरकारें तो बैठी ही है उनके आदेश का पालन करने के लिए और शुभेंदु सरकार ने कर… pic.twitter.com/Csgow2HjKM
“Punitive Transfer”
Slamming the government’s decision, Pushpendra Saroj, Member of Parliament from Kaushambhi, wrote, “Can Muslim IAS and IPS officers in this country no longer even say "Assalamu Alaikum"? Has saying "Inshallah" also become a sin?”
“Our country runs not on hate, but on unity, brotherhood, and the Constitution. Stop erecting walls of hate for the sake of politics—India belongs to every religion and every citizen”, he added.
Calling the move, a “punitive transfer”, Congress leader and MP, Pawan Khera, wrote on X, “What exactly is offensive about her words? They are blessings and prayers, spoken from a place of affection, faith and care. She did not explicitly glorify the nation. But she prayed for her fellow citizens. That, too, is an expression of patriotism - rooted in compassion, faith and goodwill - one that the bhakts will never understand.”
“A hate-mongering TV channel first sensationalized that video by posting it and inciting online trolling against the female IPS officer. Instead of standing by her, the state government transferred her the very next day.
“What kind of India are you building, @narendramodi ji? @IPS_Association, are you watching this??” Congress Minority Department Chief and MP Imran Pratapgarhi asked in a post on X.
Read and Watch Some More Reactions
Hindu cops participate in Kanwar Yatra, wear Kalawa, apply Tilak, even dance in religious procession but a Muslim cop can't say Assalamualaikum and JazakAllah.
— Md Asif Khan (@imMAK02) September 15, 2026
Welcome to the Secular Democratic Republic of India. https://t.co/yk4fnLrb3r
A talented IPS officer, Dr. Bushra Bano, is reportedly facing a transfer simply because she used the words “InshaAllah” and “MashAllah.”
— Nurmagumedov (@x_Aliwayzz01) September 15, 2026
A hateful TV channel picked up the issue, and after trolling and online pressure from its supporters, an IPS officer has reportedly been… pic.twitter.com/D28Gt9ydr5
STOP reducing her story to religion. Celebrate her patriotism.
— Syeda Arsheen Fatima (@SFatima46894) September 15, 2026
She left Saudi Arabia, returned to India, cleared UPSC twice and chose to serve the nation.
That’s the story-not her “crime” of saying Assalamualaikum and JazakAllahu Khair.#JusticeForBushraBano #Engineering… pic.twitter.com/wzNZ9uY4f3
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