Muslim cop in India transferred for saying 'Assalamu Alaikum'

Indian Police Service officer Dr Bushra Banu was transferred within 24 hours of a complaint over a video she posted on X to encourage UPSC aspirants. In the video, she used the Islamic expressions “Assalamu Alaikum,” “InshaAllah” and “Jazakallah.” On September 14, she was transferred from Additional Superintendent of Police in Kharagpur to Deputy Commandant of the fourth battalion of the State Armed Police.

Banu posted the video on Sunday, September 13, 2026. She spoke about her journey into the civil services and credited the Residential Coaching Academy of Aligarh Muslim University with helping her prepare for the UPSC examination. She mentioned its books, library resources, mock tests and other facilities and encouraged other aspirants to use them.

Banu began the video with “Assalamu Alaikum”, used “InshaAllah” during her remarks and ended with “Jazakallah”. After the video was published, an organisation called the Hindu Legal Fund filed a written complaint with the West Bengal Home Secretary.

The organisation alleged that Banu, as a senior government official, had not maintained neutrality in her public communication and had avoided national expressions such as “Vande Mataram” and “Jai Hind”.

On Monday, September 14, the West Bengal government issued an order transferring Banu from her Kharagpur post to Deputy Commandant of the fourth battalion of the State Armed Police. The order described the move as an immediate administrative reshuffle in the “public interest”. It did not explicitly state that the complaint over her video was the reason for the transfer.

The timing of the complaint and transfer has nevertheless triggered discussion on social media and in sections of the Indian media. While reports have described the government order as an administrative reshuffle, questions have also been raised about the close timing between the complaint and the transfer.

Banu is a 2021-batch IPS officer. She completed a PhD in management studies at Aligarh Muslim University and later worked as an assistant professor in Saudi Arabia. She subsequently left that job, returned to India and prepared for the UPSC examination. Reports say she cleared the UPSC examination twice with support from AMU’s Residential Coaching Academy.

Her video focused on her personal journey and encouraged civil service aspirants to make use of institutional support and study resources. It was presented as an inspirational message for students preparing for competitive examinations.

The controversy has drawn mixed reactions on social media. Some users have questioned the use of religious expressions by a government officer in public communication. Others have questioned whether the same standard of religious neutrality is being applied equally to officials from different faiths. The broader discussion has focused on the balance between personal religious expression and neutrality in public office in a religiously and culturally diverse India.
//DBTech/SFR/NP/MIS//