Uttarakhand: 7 madrasas sealed in Haldwani’s Banbhulpura area

Haldwani: At least seven madrasas were sealed by officials in Haldwani on Sunday for allegedly operating without registration with the Uttarakhand Madrasa Board or the state education department, officials said.

A joint team comprising officials from the district administration, municipal corporation, and local police carried out a special inspection drive in the Muslim-majority Banbhulpura area. The team checked the institutions for proper registration and compliance with other regulatory requirements. During the inspection, several madrasas were found to be unregistered, leading to the sealing of seven of them.

“We are conducting a special drive to inspect madrasas in Haldwani. Many were found operating in violation of state government norms, without proper registration. Taking strict action, we have sealed seven madrasas so far,” said A P Bajpayee, city magistrate of Haldwani.

According to officials, the district administration had conducted a preliminary survey of madrasas in the Banbhulpura area last month. The survey documented details such as location, number of enrolled students, and available facilities.

In December last year, the Uttarakhand government started a drive against “illegal” madrasas, following instructions from chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Dhami on January 9 said, “Whether it’s illegal madrasas or encroachment, it should not happen in Uttarakhand at any cost. Devbhoomi has a ‘mool swaroop’ (original features), people from across the country and world have a different view and faith towards it. It is a land of faith, religion, Ayush. We will remove encroachment, and orders have been given for verification of madrasas. The minority welfare department will see to it. The district magistrates and superintendents of police will supervise and run the verification drive.” “Their funding, links and backgrounds will be checked,” he added.

On March 26, Uttarakhand government stated it will investigate funding received by illegal madrasas that have been sealed across the state and a report in this regard will be submitted directly to the Chief Minister’s Office. Officials said there are about 450 registered madrasas in the state, which give the government their documents, bank accounts and complete details of income and expenditure. But on the other hand, more than 500 madrasas are being run without any recognition.

The government has issued strict instructions to the district administration to verify the children studying in these madrasas and to investigate their financial sources. It will also be ensured that from which source these illegal madrasas are getting funds and for what purpose it is being used. Officials said that in the recent past, many madrasas have been reported to be opened without registration in towns adjoining UP like Jaspur, Bajpur, Kichha, Kashipur, Rudrapur, Gadarpur, and Haridwar district.