Army wants soldiers to clean shave

KOCHI: The Indian Army has kicked off a row after dismissing a Muslim soldier for insisting on sporting a beard based on religious grounds. The Army termed him as an "undesirable soldier" and his dismissal was upheld by an Armed Forces Tribunal bench in Kochi. Maktumhusen, 34, was a sepoy in the Army Medical Corps for nearly 10 years when he first aske permission from his Commanding Officer to sport facial hair. He was given permission provided he gets a new identity card and retains the look for the rest of his service. However, it was soon found out that the rule was amended and soldiers apart from Sikhs were not allowed to have beards. Maktum's order was revoked and he was asked to shave his beard, a move which the soldier called discriminatory, and approached the Karnataka High Court. He was transferred to Pune's Command Hospital where he faced a similar situation. A show-cause notice was issued against him, after which he was sentenced to a 14-day detention for disobedience. His counsel said he will move the Supreme Court.