A Madrasa teacher from Tirunelli in Wayanad district has been arrested and remanded on charges of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl, according to reports dated 26 November. The accused, 32-year-old Meleppad Thodiyil Mohammed Shafeeq of Karaykkamala Karattukunnu, was taken into custody by the Tirunelli Police after a period of surveillance and inquiry. Police officials confirmed that past allegations of similar misconduct had also surfaced against him, prompting closer monitoring that led to his arrest.
The incident adds to a series of troubling cases emerging from Islamic religious institutions across Kerala. Over the past several years, the state has recorded multiple allegations and arrests involving Madrasa teachers, including instances of paedophilia that have shocked local communities.
Muslims make up nearly 30 per cent of the constituency’s population. The seat is represented by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of the Congress party.
In June 2019, Kottayam witnessed the arrest of a Madrasa teacher in his early sixties for sexually assaulting two children. In November 2023, three Madrasa teachers were arrested in Thiruvananthapuram on charges of sexually abusing minor students.
The judiciary, too, has dealt with grave cases. In August 2024, the POCSO Additional District and Sessions Court sentenced a Madrasa teacher to 86 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy.
Another landmark verdict came in April 2025, when a special court in Taliparamba sentenced Mohammed Rafi, a Madrasa teacher from Kannur, to 187 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old student during the Covid-19 lockdown. Rafi, a repeat offender, was also fined ₹9.10 lakh after the case came to light through the victim’s disclosure.
These incidents are not isolated. They represent only a fraction of the numerous cases reported across the state, raising urgent questions about institutional accountability and child safety mechanisms within these establishments.
In Kerala, the rise of crimes against minors, especially within Islamic institutions like madrasas, has become a growing concern. The state continues to grapple with unaudited records of the number of madrasas operating and the systems they follow. It is generally perceived that many of the children enrolled are brought from West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh solely for religious purposes, with limited oversight of their living conditions and safety.
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