Jaipur: Nine Muslim policemen in Alwar, who were ordered to get their beards removed, were on Friday allowed to sport it by a senior police officer following an adverse reaction from the community, which threatened to protest against the order.
On Thursday, the police had asked the nine cops to get their beards removed to ensure they look “neutral”. Answering media queries in this regard, Alwar Superintendent of Police (SP) Anil Parish Deshmukh said,
“Law and order duties require that policemen should not just be impartial, they should also look impartial. The basic aim behind this order is that it aims to enhance all forms of impartiality during functioning.”
Sources within the department said there were complaints against these nine constables from within the department. It was alleged that they had reflected a religious bias in functioning and with co workers.
Sources added that this was the reason for revoking the permission to keep a beard. While police service rules say policemen cannot keep a beard, permission can be granted or withdrawn by the department head which in this case is the district Superintendent of Police (SP).
While Sher Mohammad, head of mev panchayat had expressed ire and said, “Article 25 of the Constitution says a person can maintain his religious identity if he performs his duty properly” state BJP vice president Gyandev Ahuja, of anti-JNU comment fame, opined that the order was to maintain discipline. Ahuja said, “Policemen should follow the order, there is nothing religious about it.”
