The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has launched a massive crackdown on illegal madrassas operating in Azamgarh, a known stronghold of the Samajwadi Party (SP). A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe has unearthed glaring irregularities in the functioning of 219 madrassas, which were found flouting government norms and operating illegally. The state has now ordered the filing of FIRs against all these madrassas and their operators.
According to official reports, an audit of 313 madrasas listed on the state madrasa portal revealed widespread violations of government norms. A detailed SIT investigation confirmed that 219 of these institutions were operating illegally, prompting the government to order FIRs against their operators and administrators.
The scandal surrounding illegal madrassas dates back to 2009-10, when numerous institutions were granted recognition and financial aid without any physical verification. The issue resurfaced in 2017 when a complaint was filed with the state government. An inquiry revealed that out of 700 madrassas in Azamgarh, only 387 met government standards, while 313 were found to be fraudulent or in gross violation of norms.
In 2022, the SIT submitted its final report, confirming the illegal status of 219 madrassas, prompting the latest crackdown.
District officials have confirmed that criminal complaints will be lodged against the violators. “Following the SIT report, a letter has been sent for action, and FIRs will be filed at the police station level against illegal madrassa operators,” said the district’s minority officer.
Azamgarh has long been a bastion of the Samajwadi Party, and the exposure of this large-scale madrassa scam raises serious questions about SP’s role in sheltering such institutions. The party’s repeated criticism of the BJP government’s crackdown on illegal madrassas now appears to be motivated by its vested interests in maintaining an unregulated education system that serves its political gains.
The Yogi government’s move to tighten madrasa regulations is part of a larger push for educational reforms in the state. However, the Supreme Court has intervened, putting a temporary stay on any forced closure or transfer of students from government-aided madrasas based on the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) recommendations.
On October 21, 2024, a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, along with Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, issued an interim order halting the implementation of these directives, including those issued by the Uttar Pradesh and Tripura governments.
The Supreme Court’s intervention followed a petition filed by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, which argued that the Uttar Pradesh government’s orders violated the constitutional rights of minorities to establish and administer their own educational institutions. The court has now sought responses from the Centre and all states within four weeks, allowing Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind to expand the case to other states where similar actions have been taken.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has been vocal about the need to bring madrasas under modern educational regulations. The NCPCR challenged the Allahabad High Court’s decision to strike down the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004, arguing that:
- Many madrasas do not provide a comprehensive education, violating the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
- Children in these institutions miss out on quality education, career opportunities, and a structured learning environment.
- Educational deprivation in madrasas puts students at a disadvantage compared to their peers in mainstream schools.
Earlier in September 2024, an SP leader stoked communal tensions by suggesting that an increase in the Muslim population would eventually overthrow BJP and Hindu rule. Referring to Mughal rule, he asserted, “We will come to power… Those who are burning the country must note that the people have woken up. They gave a reply in Parliament (polls). And in the coming days, in 2027, you will surely go and we will come.”
His remarks triggered a political storm, with BJP leaders slamming the SP for openly supporting divisive politics. BJP leader Subrat Pathak, who lost to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, questioned the SP’s agenda. “Is this why Akhilesh Yadav is busy dividing Hindus? So that a particular community’s wish is fulfilled?” Pathak remarked, while lauding Yogi Adityanath’s firm governance.
The BJP government has made it clear that illegal institutions, regardless of political backing, will not be allowed to operate. CM Yogi Adityanath’s administration has consistently emphasised the need for proper regulation of madrassas to ensure they function within the legal framework and do not become breeding grounds for misinformation or extremist ideologies. The SIT crackdown in Azamgarh is part of a larger initiative to weed out unauthorised madrassas across Uttar Pradesh.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party has attempted to distance itself from Mehboob Ali’s controversial remarks. SP leader Sunil Sajan stated that the party does not believe the BJP will lose power due to demographic changes but rather due to issues like rising inflation, unemployment, and corruption. However, the SP’s long-standing support for unregulated madrassas, coupled with its leader’s incendiary statements, paints a different picture.
In 2013, the Samajwadi Party (SP) government in Uttar Pradesh, was a part of a large-scale scam involving fake government-aided madrasas. The state’s Minority Welfare Department had discovered that 118 such institutions existed only on paper, exposing serious irregularities in the allocation of funds meant for minority education.
For hundreds of thousands of Muslim children in Uttar Pradesh, government-funded madrasas serve as the only source of education. Every year, both central and state governments allocate hundreds of crores of rupees for scholarships, teacher salaries, and modernisation programs for recognised madrasas. With nearly 10,000 madrasas, Uttar Pradesh hosted the largest number of such institutions in the country.
However, the Minority Welfare Department, while identifying madrasas for a central government modernisation scheme, stumbled upon a shocking scam. Investigations revealed that more than 100 madrasas receiving government grants had never existed.
“During the survey for the modernisation program, we discovered that 118 madrasas receiving government funds had either ceased to exist or had never been operational. An inquiry was launched to determine where the lapses occurred. The involvement of officials in acts of omission or commission cannot be ruled out,” said Devesh Chaturvedi, former secretary of the UP Department for Minority Welfare.
The anomalies first came to light when officials surveying madrasas under the modernisation scheme found a suspicious list of 100 institutions in Jhansi. Alarmed, they conducted door-to-door checks and discovered that the first six madrasas were completely bogus.
A subsequent preliminary investigation revealed that 118 madrasas across Uttar Pradesh had been fraudulently receiving government funds. Among them, 34 were in Meerut, 17 in Gonda, 13 in Balrampur, and four in the state capital, Lucknow.
