Criminalizing the everyday vocabularies of Muslims

Credit: NewsX

Bushara Bano, an IPS officer previously posted as the Additional SP of Kharagpur in the Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal has been transferred for using everyday vocabulary common to Muslim greetings and conversations.

In the video that triggered the Hindutva backlash, Bano began her statement with Assalamu Alaikum, used Insha Allah while speaking, and concluded with Jazak Allah. In the clip, Bano shared her experience at Aligarh Muslim University’s Residential Coaching Academy that helped her crack the UPSC examination. Encouraging other aspirants to enroll, she stated, “I am sharing this with you all so that others may benefit from it.”

Following the circulation of the video, a social media page Hindu Legal Fund on X, posted a tweet:

“Complaint filed with West Bengal Home Secretary regarding IPS Bushara Bano’s official video statement. She began with Assalamu Alaikum, used Insha Allah, ended with Jazak Allah and did not use Vande Mataram or Jai Hind. A serving officer representing the Indian state should maintain neutrality and use national expressions in public communication. Seeking appropriate review and action.”

She also received backlash from several right-wing social media accounts, accusing her of “UPSC Jihad.”

Days after the complaint, the transfer of IPS officer Bano drew sharp criticism from opposition leaders, including MP Mahua Moitra, who condemned the decision on X. We are with you, Bushara,” Moitra said.

The transfer of IPS officer Bano tells a deeply disturbing reality of systemic prejudice against Muslims in India. It reveals how the ruling government’s totalitarian impulse seeks total conformity by criminalizing the everyday vocabularies of Muslims. A majoritarian political culture that openly broadcasts its own religious slogans simultaneously treats universal Muslim expressions of peace and gratitude as threats to national neutrality. Certainly, this is no longer a matter of linguistic or cultural ignorance; it is clearly a politically manufactured refusal to embrace the identities and existence of Muslims as equal citizens.

Ultimately, the transfer of IPS officer Bano forces us to confront a fundamental question: What exactly does this punitive move protect? Does it preserve national neutrality, integrity, secularism, and the identity of the bureaucracy? Or does it purely cater to the fragile insecurities of the majority.