80 madrasas in UP got Rs 100 crore foreign funds, finds SIT probe
In many of the cases, the money was deposited directly into the bank accounts of societies and NGOs that manage these madrasas, according to a senior officer involved in the probe.
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Out of the approximate 25,000 madrasas in Uttar Pradesh, more than 16,500 are recognised by the UP Board of Madrasa Education.A TOTAL of 80 madrasas in Uttar Pradesh received around Rs 100 crore funds from abroad over the past three years, according to an ongoing probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was formed by the state government in October this year.
In many of the cases, the money was deposited directly into the bank accounts of societies and NGOs that manage these madrasas, according to a senior officer involved in the probe. The SIT, which was formed to probe the sources of foreign funding of the madrasas, is headed by an Additional Director General rank officer. It also comprises the Director of Minority Welfare Department and Superintendent of Police, Cyber Cell.
Out of the approximate 25,000 madrasas in Uttar Pradesh, more than 16,500 are recognised by the UP Board of Madrasa Education. During the course of its investigation, the SIT identified individuals, societies and NGOs running the madrasas in the state and gathered information on their bank accounts.
“We discovered that foreign funds were transferred into the bank accounts of 80 madrasas. These madrasas are located in various parts of the state, including Bahraich, Siddharth Nagar, Saharanpur, Azamgarh and Rampur. The money was sent to bank accounts from various locations around the world, particularly the Middle East, London and Dubai,” the senior officer said, adding that scrutiny of funding sources of other madrasas was in process.
About the 80 madrasas that have been identified, the SIT is gathering information about the organisations and individuals who deposited the money into the bank accounts. The investigators also intend to determine whether the funds were meant for social causes or not.
“We will seek information from the caretakers of the madrasas about those who sent the money. If necessary, we will seek assistance from central agencies such as R&AW and IB to gather details. A report will be sent to central agencies for cooperation,” an officer said.
The SIT has also decided to seek information from these madrasas on how they spent the foreign funds. “They will be asked to provide bills and other documents to show how they spent the money,” the officer said.
When contacted, Mohit Agarwal, who heads the SIT, told The Indian Express that the investigation is still in progress. The SIT was formed months after the state government in January this year instructed District Magistrates in areas bordering Nepal to investigate the sources of funding for unrecognised madrasas that declared zakat (charity money) and donations as their primary sources of funds.
Minister for Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj Dharmpal Singh had said at the time that several madrasas in areas along the Nepal border had reported zakat and donations as their primary source of funds. However, survey teams had found that people living in these areas were too poor to provide zakat or donations. These madrasas were identified, and instructions were issued to check their sources of funding again.
Singh had also said that these madrasas were not revealing the identities of their donors, suggesting that the funds could be coming from abroad.
Last year, a state government survey identified 8,449 madrasas operating without recognition from the Madrasa Board. Most of them were in Moradabad district.
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