UP cop suspended for keeping beard, says authorities did not respond to his request

Baghpat: A Sub-inspector of the Uttar Pradesh Police has been suspended and sent to the police lines for keeping a beard without permission.

Policeman Intesar Ali had been warned three times to shave off his beard or to seek requisite permission. It is alleged that he did not seek permission and continued to keep the beard.

SP Baghpat Abhishek Singh said that to keep a beard one has to seek permission. "If any police personnel wants to keep a beard, he has to seek permission for the same. Intesar Ali was repeatedly asked to seek permission but he did not comply and kept the beard without permission," the SP said.

"Earlier, he was also issued a show cause notice on the matter. SI Ali has been suspended for indiscipline and a probe has been ordered against him,” he said.

However, Ali told reporters that he had applied permission to keep a beard but got no response.

As per the police manual only Sikhs are allowed to keep a beard while all other police personnel cannot keep a beard without permission from the authorities.

Meanwhile, some Muslim organisations have demanded action in the matter. Maulana Qari Mustafa Dehalvi, the national president of Ittehad Ulama-e-Hind said that if Sikhs are allowed to keep a beard, then why not Muslims.

Ali joined the police force as sub-inspector and has been posted in Baghpat for the past three years.