'Assalam Alaikum' Cost IPS Officer Her Posting? Row Over Bengal Transfer - NDTV

**West Bengal Transfers IPS Officer Over Use of Islamic Greetings**

Kolkata – The West Bengal government transferred Deputy Commissioner (Superintendent of Police) **Bushra Bano**, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 2010 batch, from her posting in Howrah district to a role in the state’s Department of Home Affairs on 30 July 2024. The move came after a series of complaints lodged by members of right‑wing organisations, who argued that Bano’s regular use of Islamic salutations such as “Assalamu Alaikum,” “Inshallah” and “Jazakallah” in official interactions violated the secular ethos of public service. In a written order, the state’s Home Minister cited “maintaining public order and communal harmony” as the justification for the transfer, while the police department officially described the decision as a routine administrative reshuffle.

The transfer has ignited a sharp debate across the political spectrum. Leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress defended the state’s action as a precautionary measure, emphasizing that government officials must avoid language that could be perceived as favouring any religion. In contrast, senior members of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and several Hindu nationalist groups portrayed the episode as evidence of a “bias against Hindu sentiment” in the state administration. Civil‑rights organisations, including the Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, have condemned the move as “discriminatory” and a threat to the constitutional right of free expression for public servants.

Legal experts note that while the Indian Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, it also permits reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order. The transfer does not appear to have been the result of any disciplinary inquiry under the All India Service (Conduct) Rules, and Bano has not been charged with misconduct. She has filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court seeking a reversal of the transfer, arguing that her use of religious greetings was a personal expression and not an official directive. The case is expected to test the balance between individual religious freedom and the state’s mandate to maintain communal neutrality in its bureaucracy.