Authorities demolish Muslim-run school in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal: Indian authorities have demolished a privately funded village school built by a Muslim resident in the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh state after it was labelled an “illegal madrasa” — an allegation that has increasingly been used in recent years as a trigger to target Muslim-run institutions.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the demolition took place in Dhabha village in Betul district’s Bhainsdehi area, where Abdul Naeem had been constructing a small school with his own savings. Naeeim said he invested around 2 million Indian rupees to build a facility intended to offer education from nursery to Class 8 under the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education.
The village has a population of about 2,000 people, with only three Muslim families, residents said. Naeem said the school was conceived to address an acute shortage of educational facilities in the area. At the time the controversy erupted, the building was still under construction — no classes had begun, no students were enrolled, and no signboard had been installed.
According to villagers, three days before the demolition, rumors began circulating that Naeem was running an unauthorized religious school. Residents said the claim was false and that no religious activity was taking place at the site.
Following the rumors, the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), a revenue officer, and the local police station in-charge visited the site. Villagers said the officials inspected the premises, found no evidence of religious instruction, and left after advising Naeem to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the village council.
Despite this, the village council issued a demolition notice, ordering the structure to be torn down. Naeem said when he went to the council office to submit documents and seek clarification, he was asked to return later, even as the demolition order remained in effect.
Local youth leader Sonu Panse said the school was being built with village consent to meet educational needs. “There was no religious activity here. A false rumor became the basis for government action,” he said.
Naeem said he holds valid land documents and had applied to the state school education department for permission to operate the institution. He said he was unaware that a separate village-level NOC was required and offered to pay any fine if procedural lapses were identified.
When villagers protested the demolition notice, the council issued the NOC, but the decision to raze the building was not reversed. Naeem said that later, the SDM told him there was “pressure from above” and that the school would have to be demolished.
Observers say the case reflects a broader pattern in parts of India, where allegations of “illegal madrasas” are increasingly used to justify administrative action against Muslim-run initiatives. Researchers and civil society groups note that the label often triggers swift state intervention, even when institutions are secular, privately funded, and locally supported, turning suspicion into policy action.
