In a significant appeal, on July 13, Priyank Kanoongo, the head of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), has urged parents to refrain from enrolling Hindu and other non-Muslim children in Islamic seminaries, known as madrassas. Kanoongo’s plea, issued on Saturday, emphasised the potential violation of constitutional rights and the risk of fostering religious discord.
In a statement shared on social media, Kanoongo expressed his concerns: “Madrassas are centers for providing Islamic religious education and fall outside the scope of the Right to Education Act. Retaining Hindu and other non-Muslim children in madrassas is not only a violation of their fundamental constitutional rights but can also become a reason for spreading religious animosity in society.”
To address this issue, Kanoongo has called on state governments to ensure that non-Muslim students currently attending madrassas are provided with alternative educational arrangements in regular schools. He highlighted that the Chief Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh government had already issued an order aligning with the NCPCR’s recommendations.
Kanoongo also cautioned against misinformation being spread by the Islamic organisation Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, which he claimed was inciting public sentiment against the Uttar Pradesh government. “It has been learnt through newspapers that an Islamic organisation called Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind is misleading people about this order and is working to incite the sentiments of the general public against the government. This organisation of clerics is a branch of Darul Uloom Deoband against which the Commission has taken action for supporting Ghazwa-e-Hind,” he stated.
The NCPCR chief further referenced a troubling incident reported in October last year, involving the forced religious conversion and circumcision of a Hindu boy in a village near Deoband, Uttar Pradesh. He underscored the importance of safeguarding children’s religious freedoms and called for decisive action against those spreading false information.
“None should violate the religious freedom of children. I request the public with folded hands to not be misled by any fundamentalist organisation and to participate in building a better future for children,” Kanoongo wrote, urging strong measures against those peddling fake news.
This appeal from the NCPCR chief comes amid growing concerns about the educational environment and religious influences on children, emphasising the need for careful consideration of their rights and freedoms.
