Uttar Pradesh: Private madrassas fear bulldozer terror

Students at a madrassa in Lucknow. Pic/PTI

With the Uttar Pradesh government set to hold a survey of private madrassas, proprietors of the theological schools fear that their institutions may be declared illegal and "run over by bulldozers". Sources said they expressed the fear at a meeting of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, one of the leading organisations of Islamic scholars belonging to the Deobandi school of thought, on September 6 in New Delhi.

The Muslim body's president Maulana Arshad Madani told PTI, "Nobody has any objection if the government wants to conduct a survey of private madrassas, but care should be taken so that it doesn't interfere in their internal matters." The sources said it was decided at the meeting to hold a meeting on September 24 in Darul Ulum Deoband to chalk out the future course of action.

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Earlier, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and BSP supremo Mayawati had raised questions over the exercise. The government has claimed that the exercise is aimed at streamlining private religious seminaries so that students there could learn science and computers. Owaisi had described the exercise as "mini NRC" (National Register of Citizenship). Mayawati has alleged that the government is trying to interfere in the internal matters of the seminaries with an intention to "terrorise" Muslims.

All-India Muslim Personal Law Board member and Lucknow city Qazi Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli said the state government should also strengthen the arrangements in government-affiliated madrassas, and conduct a similar survey in every primary schools run by the government. UP's Minister of State for Minority Affairs Danish Azad Ansari assured that no centre will be razed.

15 October
Day the govt aims to complete the survey

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