Who Is IPS Officer Bushra Bano And What Happened After Her “Assalamualaikum” Video As Her Transfer Order Cited Public Interest?

A video shared by a serving IPS officer about her journey to the civil services has drawn attention in West Bengal.

IPS officer Bushra Bano spoke about her UPSC preparation and the role of Aligarh Muslim University’s Residential Coaching Academy in her journey. The video included Islamic greetings and phrases while she addressed viewers.

Soon after, a complaint was filed over the video. Bano was subsequently transferred from her posting as Additional Superintendent of Police in Kharagpur.

The sequence of events has since brought attention to the IPS officer, her video and the government order concerning her transfer. Here is what happened and what is known about the case so far.

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What Happened In The Video?

Bano posted the video on X on 13 September 2026.

In it, she discussed her preparation for the UPSC examination and credited the Residential Coaching Academy at AMU with helping her during that journey.

She encouraged students to make use of such coaching facilities and spoke about her own experience preparing for competitive examinations.

The controversy focused on the language she used.

Bano began with “Assalamualaikum”, used “Inshallah” while speaking about future candidates and ended with “Jazakallah”. 

Some social media accounts criticised her for using Islamic expressions while appearing in police uniform and questioned why she had not used expressions such as “Jai Hind” or “Vande Mataram”.

What Was The Complaint

The Hindu Legal Fund, which describes itself as a unit of the Hindu Network Foundation, said it had complained to the West Bengal Home Secretary over the video.

The organisation argued that a serving officer representing the state should maintain neutrality in public communication. It also objected to the absence of “Jai Hind” or “Vande Mataram” in the video. 

The complaint was made on 13 September, according to the organisation's public post and media reports. 

The issue then moved quickly from social media to an administrative controversy.

What Happened To Bushra Bano?

On 14 September, the West Bengal government transferred Bano from her position as Additional SP, Kharagpur.

She was appointed Deputy Commandant of the 4th Battalion of the State Armed Police.

The government order described the transfer as being made in “public interest”. It did not mention her video, the complaint or the religious expressions as the reason for the transfer. 

Partha Ghosh was appointed as the new Additional SP of Kharagpur as part of the reshuffle. 

This is why the sequence has attracted attention: the complaint came on 13 September, followed by the transfer on 14 September. However, the available official reason for the transfer remains “public interest”.

There is no public official finding establishing that Bano was transferred as punishment for using the phrases in the video.

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Who Is IPS Officer Bushra Bano?

Bano is a 2021-batch IPS officer from Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj district.

Her career path to the IPS was not straightforward.

She completed a PhD in management from Aligarh Muslim University and later worked as an assistant professor in Saudi Arabia. She returned to India and pursued the civil services examination. 

According to India Today, she cleared the civil services examination more than once. She was earlier selected for the Indian Railway Traffic Service and also cleared the Uttar Pradesh administrative service examination, where she served as a sub-divisional magistrate. She later cleared the civil services examination again and entered the IPS. 

She had been serving as Additional SP in Kharagpur before the September transfer.

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Is There An FIR Against Her?

There is no authoritative report currently establishing an FIR against Bano over the video.

What has been reported is a complaint to the West Bengal Home Secretary seeking action against her.

The available reports also do not establish that Bano has been booked under a criminal provision because of the words used in the video. Her transfer was an administrative action, and the stated reason in the government order was “public interest”. 

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Why The Transfer Is Being Questioned

The controversy now rests largely on the timing.

Bano's video was posted on 13 September. The complaint followed, and she was transferred the next day.

Opposition figures and some public commentators have therefore questioned whether the two events were connected. The state government, however, has described the transfer as a routine administrative move. India Today reported that the government maintained that position while the controversy continued. 

At present, the available record establishes the sequence of events, but does not establish that the video caused the transfer.

That distinction matters because the complaint, social media criticism and the transfer order are three separate things.

The controversy has therefore moved beyond one officer's video. It has raised a broader question about how government officials can express personal identity or faith in public communication while holding constitutional offices, and where institutions draw the line between personal expression and official communication.

TL;DR | News At A Glance

Who is Bushra Bano?
Bushra Bano is a 2021-batch IPS officer who was serving as Additional SP in Kharagpur, West Bengal.

What happened?
She posted a video on 13 September 2026 about her UPSC journey and used phrases including “Assalamualaikum”, “Inshallah” and “Jazakallah”.

Why did it become controversial?
The Hindu Legal Fund objected to the religious expressions and complained to the West Bengal Home Secretary, arguing that a serving officer should maintain neutrality in public communication. 

When was she transferred?
The West Bengal government transferred her on 14 September from Additional SP, Kharagpur, to Deputy Commandant of the State Armed Police's 4th Battalion. 

Why was she transferred?
The official order cited “public interest”. It did not state that the video or complaint was the reason. 

Was an FIR filed against her?
No FIR against Bano over the video has been established in the authoritative reporting reviewed for this article. The reported action was a complaint to the Home Secretary.

Did the government confirm that the video caused her transfer?
No. The reported government position is that the transfer was a routine administrative move.