Overview
- An ADCP memo dated 20 November denied a Kanchanbagh sub-inspector permission to grow hair or a beard, wear black civil dress, or go barefoot for Ayyappa Deeksha while on duty, citing head-office rules and advising leave.
- BJP and VHP leaders condemned the order as biased, pointing to Ramzan-era early-departure allowances for government staff to argue unequal treatment.
- Suspended BJP MLA T Raja Singh and state BJP leaders publicly questioned the directive, while VHP’s national spokesperson labeled it anti-Hindu.
- Telangana minister Ponnam Prabhakar said he would seek clarity from senior officials, and no revocation or formal departmental clarification had been issued by the Hyderabad commissioner as of the latest reports.
- Ayyappa devotees and BJP Yuva Morcha members protested at the Telangana DGP office on Thursday, leading to scuffles, claims of lathi-charge, and reported detentions, with demonstrators demanding withdrawal of the memo and uniform exemptions during the 41-day observance.