In India’s administrative and law‑enforcement corridors, secularism and neutrality are being redefined in ways that feel sudden, terrifying and partisan. Under the same constitution, two officers serving the same country are now being judged by two completely opposite and contradictory standards of justice.Recently, Dr Bushra Bano, a 2024‑batch Muslim woman Indian Police Service (IPS) officer posted in West Bengal, was transferred overnight merely because she used ordinary cultural and religious phrases like assalamu alaikum, insha’allah and jazakallah in an inspirational video made to guide UPSC aspirants.Dr Bano, serving as Additional Superintendent of Police in Kharagpur, was abruptly made Deputy Commandant in the State Armed Police (SAP) and moved away. This happened after a right‑wing group calling itself Hindu Legal Fund, and which describes itself as a unit of a Hindu Network Foundation, filed a complaint with the West Bengal home secretary over her video.The complaint’s essence, as posted on X, is: “She began with assalamu alaikum, said insha’allah in the middle and ended with jazakallah – and she did not say Vande Mataram or Jai Hind. A serving officer representing the Indian state must maintain neutrality in public communication and use national expressions.”On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh police officer Anuj Chaudhary, who was seen brandishing a mace while in uniform during religious pilgrimages such as the kanwar yatra, and who made inflammatory and vitriolic public statements was promoted instead of being punished.Also read: Sambhal: Despite Court Order, UP Police Refuses to File FIR Against Erring CopsThis contradiction highlights the stark reality of the bureaucracy and power structures in India have succumbed to the pressure of majoritarianism, where displays of faith by one religion are considered devotion to duty and cultural pride, while the basic etiquettes and greetings of another religion are labelled treason, extremism and incompetence.A target of Hindutva outfitsBushra Bano is no ordinary IPS officer. With roots in the Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh, she earned a PhD in Management Studies from Aligarh Muslim University, cleared the NET-JRF test and became an assistant professor, who worked in Saudi Arabia. Upon returning to India, she took the grueling UPSC exam.In 2018, she secured the 277th rank was selected for the Indian Railway Traffic Service. However, she opted out of joining the service to raise her young family and reappeared, securing a rank of 234 in 2024, this time being selected for the IPS.Police and municipal employees shower petals on kanwariyas in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, July 21, 2025. Photo: PTIRecently, she released a video aimed at guiding and inspiring UPSC aspirants. In the video, she credited her alma mater’s Residential Coaching Academy (RCA), which provided her with study materials, a library, and mock tests. She urged young people to take advantage of this platform.But after the right-wing Hindu Legal Fund complained about her, releasing the post on X, she faced a virulent trolling campaign on social media. Someone wrote: “Assalamu Alaikum in uniform will become our greeting”. Another called her a “potential terrorist and extremist” and another questioned her loyalty to the country, writing “Can’t Trust Her Loyalty For India”.The state government did not take even 24 hours to succumb to this right-wing frenzy and hateful TV debates that followed. Bushra Bano was removed from her post and virtually sidelined.Anuj Chaudhary vs. Bushra Bano: Perversion of neutralityIf the standards of ‘neutrality of the uniform’ and ‘service rules’ were the same for everyone, then the country’s enlightened citizens could have viewed this action as strict adherence to the law. But when we look at the case of Uttar Pradesh police officer Anuj Chaudhary, the double standards of the government and administration are completely exposed.During his posting in Sambhal and Chandausi districts in Uttar Pradesh, Chaudhary carried a mace in religious rath yatras, showered flowers on kanwar yatra pilgrims while in uniform, and participated in public religious events. Didn’t the dignity of the uniform and ‘secular neutrality’ come in the way then?Also read: Adityanath Defends Police Officer Who Asked Muslims to Stay at Home on Holi: ‘People Should Accept it’Chaudhary publicly stated, “Holi comes once a year, but Friday comes 52 times.” This statement was a direct challenge to a particular community by a police officers. When it sparked controversy, the chief ministers dismissed it, saying, “If he’s a wrestler, he’ll speak like one.” Instead of punishing Chaudhary, he was promoted to ASP.Bushra Bano’s ‘crime’Bushra Bano did not utter a single word against any community. She neither gave an inflammatory speech nor led a religious procession. Her only “crime” was that she used some simple words from her personal cultural background as well as that of India: assalam aalekum, which means peace be upon you; insha’allah or god willing and jazakallah, which means May God reward you.If a Hindu officer can wear a uniform and recite the “Sundar kand”, perform puja at public pandals during Holi and Diwali and carry a mace, and get promoted as “lion-hearted” and a “dutiful” officer, why is a Muslim woman officer declared a “potential terrorist” for using a simple greeting from her mother tongue and culture? What is this if not hypocrisy?Criminalising Muslim identity in the name of ‘neutrality’The idea of India is based on diversity and coexistence. Former IAS officer Ashish Joshi wrote on X, “India’s true strength is its unity in diversity. Mashallah to IPS Bushra Bano, an officer who cleared UPSC twice, left a comfortable job in Saudi Arabia, and now serves the nation with dedication.”But in today’s political climate, ‘nationalism’ and ‘neutrality’ have been defined in a way to make a Muslim whose religious or cultural identity are visible into a criminal. If an official says assalamu alaikum instead of namaste, Jai Shri Ram or Jai Hind, the right-wing establishment is infuriated. Trolls and rabble rousing right-wing outfits claim that civil servants should only say Jai Hind or Vande Mataram.Is it in the constitution or the central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules that an officer cannot use their cultural words in informal or inspirational conversations?If using such words is against the dignity of the uniform, then this rule should apply equally to officers of every religion. When IPS officers sharing photos of worshipping in temples, organising havans and bhoomi pujans in police stations and the police force performing special religious rituals on religious festivals are not considered violations of ‘neutrality’, how does saying Assalam Walekum jeopardise the country’s neutrality?Constitutional values violated with impunityThe West Bengal government, which in the past portrayed itself as the “mother of secularism” and “protector of federalism” has proven completely helpless and cowardly in this matter. Making a top female IPS officer a scapegoat based on a complaint from trolls and a right-wing WhatsApp group shows how vulnerable state governments have become in the face of mobocracy and hate agendas.Also read: Bengal’s New Political Order: Dietary Policing, Vigilantism and Economic ShocksWhen an elected government, instead of standing by a qualified, educated, and hardworking female officer, transfers her under pressure from trolls, it sends a dangerous message to society. First, it sends a clear message to Muslim officers that no matter how hard you work to clear the UPSC exam, no matter how diligently you serve the country, your identity will always be under suspicion.The message to hateful elements is that they may target any Muslim officer, the state will make their job easier.The entire sequence of events violates Article 14 (the right to equality), Article 15 (prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste) and Article 25 (freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate ones religion) of the constitution.Is this ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’?Bushra Bano’s transfer is not a mere administrative reshuffle. It is a deep wound on the soul of Indian democracy. This incident proves that in India’s bureaucracy, one’s religious identity now matters more than competence, loyalty and dedication. If a Hindu officer works with religious symbols, it is considered his “faith” and “cultural affiliation”, but a Muslim officer’s greeting leaves them to be branded as “anti-national” and facing punitive action.Unless India’s civil society, judiciary and the vigilant sections of media speak out against this double standard, capable, courageous and inspiring women officers like Bushra Bano will continue to be sacrificed to majoritarian hatred and political cowardice. India’s true strength lies in its secularism and constitutional equality. When this equality is weighed against the scales of majoritarianism, it’s time to understand that democracy’s decline is well underway.Azam Khan is an independent researcher, writer, poet and social worker with a keen interest in politics, constitutional law, citizenship, minority rights and social justice. He studies at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.