Uttarakhand govt seals 5 more madrasas, total 20 institutions targeted so far
New Delhi: The Uttarakhand government has sealed five more madrasas in Dehradun and Haldwani, taking the total number of seminaries affected in the ongoing drive to 20.
Officials sealed Madrasa Jamia-Salam Al-Islamia in Dehradun’s Azad Colony. In Haldwani, Madrasa Jamia Nooria Barkate Amina and another madrasa in Indira Nagar were shut down for being “unrecognised”.
Managements of Madrasa Dar-e-Arqam and Madrasa Darul Uloom Rahimia gave written assurances that they had stopped functioning.Dr. Parag Madhukar Dhakate, Special Secretary for Minority Welfare, said 17 madrasas have been physically sealed so far, while 3 others closed voluntarily. The action comes weeks after the state government scrapped the Uttarakhand Madrasa Board in July and replaced it with the Uttarakhand State Authority for Minority Education (USAME).
Officials say all institutions must now seek fresh recognition under the new Minority Education Act. But madrasa administrators say they were given time to complete paperwork. “We even submitted the fee of 50 thousand and were in the process of documentation. But action was taken before the deadline,” a madrasa administrator told local media.
Haldwani SDM Monika Arya said madrasas that functioned under the old board will now have to reapply through USAME and the Education Department. The move has sparked anger online. “Madrasas are places of education and enlightenment. It would have been better to seal the homes of rapists instead of sealing madrasas,” one user wrote on X, calling it “blatant targeting of Muslims.”
Officials said the drive will continue and scrutiny of minority institutions under the new framework will go on.
