Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Oct 23 (IANS): The Darul Uloom Deoband clerics are up in arms against Baghpat Superintendent of Police, Abhishek Singh, for suspending a Sub-Inspector Intesar Ali for keeping a beard.

Terming the action against the sub-inspector as 'wrong', the clerics are seeking action against the SP.

The Ittehad Ulema-e-Hind national president Maulana Qari Mustafa Dehelvi, said action has been taken on the basis of bias and should be condemned.

He demanded that the government take action against the SP.

Some other clerics, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said that the action was a result of 'religious vendetta'.

The sub-inspector, posted in Baghpat, had been asked to either shave off his beard or take requisite permission because the police manual does not allow any personnel, except Sikhs, to keep a beard.

Ali had been warned thrice to shave off or seek permission for the same.

However, the policeman did not seek permission and continued to keep the beard.

Earlier, SP Baghpat Abhishek Singh said that as per the police manual only Sikhs are allowed to keep a beard while all other policemen have to remain clean-shaven.

"If any police personnel want 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.

Ali joined the police force as sub-inspector and was posted in Baghpat since the past three years.

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