Beards

Five Muslim men arrested for an offence have alleged that a Rajgarh district jail officer forced them to shave their beards, following which a senior Madhya Pradesh prison official on Wednesday said a probe was on into the matter. A Congress MLA alleged that these men were abused in the jail, while All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi claimed it was an act of "custodial torture". The five men - Kalim Khan, Talib Khan, Arif Khan, Salman Khan alias Bhola and Wahid Khan - were sent to the district jail on September 13 after being arrested under Indian Penal Code Section 151 (disturbing public peace). They were released on September 15. On Tuesday, Bhopal Congress MLA Arif Masood along with the five men met MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra. Masood accused the jail authorities of forcing the five men to shave their beards and demanded action against the jail authorities. He alleged that these men were also abused in the jail. Masood later said Mishra

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for Saturday

Sandeep Goyal examines the culture of the beard and its significance in these WFH times

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for Wednesday

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