Uttarakhand launches Madrasa verification drive; sparks political row
The Uttarakhand government has initiated a comprehensive verification drive targeting madrasas (Muslim educational institutions) across the state, reportedly following complaints about illegal operations, a senior police officer said on Friday, December 21.
Inspector general of police (crime, and law and order) Nilesh Anand Bharne, announced that the drive is based on direct instructions from the chief minister Pushkar Dhami’s office.
The verification process will be extensive, focusing on several critical aspects such as checking the registration status of madrasas, examining funding sources and verifying the background of students, particularly those from outside the state.
“The verification exercise aims to establish standards and record them for all the madrasas functioning within the state. It is also necessary to protect children studying in madrasas and to maintain law and order,” said Bharne, the Uttarakhand police spokesperson.
“We will affirmatively investigate every aspect of their registration. The verification will also include their funding details and whether students from outside the state attend these madrasas, he added.
According to official data, Uttarakhand has around about 415 madrasas registered under the Uttarakhand Madrassa Board and 117 madrasas according to the Uttarakhand Waqf Board.
The senior police officer also said that district magistrates have been instructed to constitute a committee of all departments concerned for the verification of madrasas, and these committees are expected to submit their report within one month.
‘Cheap political stunt’However, the move has sparked political controversy. Uttarakhand former MLA and Congress unit president Karan Mahara dubbed it as a cheap political stunt and accused the BJP of trying to communalise the society and shift focus from core issues like development.
“They have been trying to target a particular community with their divisive politics. They previously targeted mazars or mausoleums in forest areas but gave up when they found other religious structures on encroached land. Now, they are focusing on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC),” he said as reported by Hindustan Times.
On the other hand, Uttarakhand Waqf Board chief and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shadab Shams supported the verification process and said that the legally registered madrasas were not under threat.
“Our government is working with pious intention. It will take legal action against those madrasas which are operating illegally. Those that are registered properly will not be affected,” he said.
“The Congress is known for its communal politics and they are doing the same now,” he alleged.
Also Read
Speaking on the move, political analyst SMA Kazmi, the plights of the Muslim community have been made an easy political frame in Uttarakhand, making the ruling BJP realize that acts of hatred against Muslims are a “happy political formula”.
The verification drive comes at a time when Muslims form 13.9 percent of the population of Uttarakhand with most of them dwelling in the Terai region – the two most affected districts being Haridwar and US Nagar with 34 percent and 22 percent Muslims respectively.
Get the latest updates in , , , , and on & by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for and .