Ex Jammu, Kashmir minister accuses Modi’s party of pressuring Muslims “Now even our vocabulary is being policed”

Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP) chief and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has accused India’s ruling BJP of “policing” the vocabulary used by Muslims.

Her remarks came after the transfer of IPS officer Bushra Bano from her post as Additional Superintendent of Police in Kharagpur, West Bengal, amid objections over her use of Islamic greetings in a video, The Observer Post reports.

Bushra Bano was transferred from her posting in Kharagpur around two and a half months after assuming the role. The move reportedly followed a complaint over her use of greetings such as “Assalamu Alaikum”, “InshaAllah” and “JazakAllah” in a video.

Reacting to the development, Mehbooba said such incidents had become unsurprising to the minority community.

“Bushra Bano’s transfer for saying ‘Assalamu Alaikum’, ‘InshaAllah’ and ‘JazakAllah’, followed by the West Bengal Chief Minister calling an election a ‘test’ of Muslim loyalty, a veiled threat to the community as a whole, doesn’t shock us anymore,” she wrote on X.

Mehbooba said it was surprising that ordinary words expressing peace, gratitude and faith could create controversy.

“What is rather amusing is that three simple words – ‘peace be upon you’, ‘god willing’, and ‘god be praised’ – can apparently rattle a party so large and powerful,” she said.

She further alleged that Muslims were increasingly facing scrutiny over their personal choices and identity.

“First our food, clothes and marriage, now even our vocabulary and our votes are being policed. Insecurity, thy name is BJP,” Mehbooba said.

Her comments come amid a wider political debate over religious identity, minority rights and the use of religious language in public life.

By Aghakazim Guliyev