Uttar Pradesh Minorities Welfare Minister Dharmpal Singh while speaking to the reporters said, “The reports on the survey of Madrassas in the state have come. Those linked to anti-national activities will be shut down. And also, the Madrassas which were functioning illegally will not be recognised. Those involved in anti-social activities will not be allowed to function”.
Last year, the Uttar Pradesh Government started the process of conducting a survey of Islamic education institutions. The survey of unrecognised Madrassas was conducted to ensure the basic facilities of the students of Madrassas. In the survey that was conducted CM Yogi Adityanath-led Government, it was found that more that out of the 25,000 madrassas in the State, 8,449 were not recognised by the state Madrasa Board.
According to Dharmpal Singh, most madrasas were found “illegal” in UP-Nepal border districts. It was reported that around 500 unrecognised madrasas were found in Siddharthnagar, more than 400 in Balrampur, 200 in Lakhimpur Kheri, 60 in Maharajganj, and 400 in Bahraich and Shravasti.
Soon after the Yogi Adityanath government had ordered the survey of unrecognised madrasas in the state, the Centre directed the state government for stopping scholarships to seminary students and enrolled in classes from one to eight, citing provisions of free education under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.
Last year while speaking to the media on the issue of the steps that are being taken against the Madrassas, Singh had said, “This (clamp down) was inevitable. Identifying unrecognised madrassas was the first step. They will not hesitate to shut down these institutions that are not dependent on the government and leave thousands of students rudderless. All this is politically motivated from the beginning itself and predictable.”
Moreover, in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, this year, ordered to conduct of a survey of unrecognised Madrassas.
