Nandigram by-poll, Mamata Banerjee and West Bengal politics

On the surface, the transfer of IPS officer Bushara Bano appeared to be a "routine affair" aimed at serving the public good. However, delving deeper reveals a different narrative. Just prior to her transfer, the Hindu Legal Fund, a group advocating for legal causes, reported a complaint to the West Bengal Home Secretary against IPS officer Bano.

The alleged offense was linked to her use of greetings while discussing her alma mater, Aligarh Muslim University, and praising its Residential Coaching Academy for aiding her success in the UPSC exams. The officer had started her video introduction with "assalamu alaikum" and used "Inshallah," but refrained from saying "Vande Mataram" or "Jai Hind."

The Hindu Legal Fund argued that a serving officer must remain neutral and employ national expressions. The government's lack of transparency surrounding the transfer only amplifies the suspicion that they succumbed to the demands. There is no prohibition in the All-India Service Rules that would prevent an officer from utilizing religious or cultural greetings, particularly in a personal context.

The inclusive secularism that the Indian Constitution upholds permits religious and cultural expression. By seemingly penalizing an officer for words spoken in a specific context and for a particular audience, the BJP-led government in West Bengal is either intentionally or inadvertently falling into the same trap as its past administrations.

For over five decades, state capabilities in West Bengal have been weakened by a political climate where "the party" and its allies — be it the CPI(M) or Trinamool Congress — essentially held veto power over all facets of governance. Much of the discontent towards the TMC government and its "syndicate" stemmed from the perception that it was both overly assertive when it didn't need to be and neglectful when action was required.

The Suvendu Adhikari government, instead of concentrating on addressing this asymmetry, appears to be exacerbating it. In a state grappling with issues of jobs, education, and industry, the emphasis seems to be on trivial matters like the manner in which a young officer greets and says goodbye. This sends a message not of "minimum government, maximum governance," but rather of an overzealous government.

The Suvendu Adhikari government must be responsible and responsive, not to social media critics and fringe groups, but to a more comprehensive and inclusive notion of "public interest."