A ceiling fan went for repair. Then its viral photo put a UP madrasa in the spotlight
A distinct label on the upper portion of the ceiling fan triggered a police inquiry in Kushinagar
Police launched an inquiry over how the product from across the border came to be installed at the religious institution. (Express Photo)
A ceiling fan installed at a madrasa in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar went for repair.
It was an ordinary white fan.
But a label and an engraving on the motor housing caused an uproar after a photo of the appliance surfaced on social media three days ago — it had a ‘Made in Pakistan’ label.
Police swiftly launched an inquiry over how the product from across the border came to be installed at the religious institution.
According to police, the purported photo may have been shared after an electrician who repaired the fan noticed the marking on the upper portion.
Circle Officer (CO), Kushinagar, Jayant Yadav, said police questioned the madrasa’s manager, Yunus Ansari, who said the ceiling fan had been donated to the institution by a local resident.
According to the officer, police then contacted the resident; he said he had received the fan from his son, an expatriate settled in Saudi Arabia, and that it was subsequently donated to the madrasa in 2023.
Police then contacted the son, who said he bought the fan in Saudi Arabia in 2020 and sent it to his father.
“He has also shared a copy of the purchase slip for the fan. We are currently examining the documents and verifying whether the necessary customs duties were paid,” CO Yadav said.
No case has been lodged in the matter.
Police, however, said they are trying to determine whether the matter is just incidental or involves ‘wider concerns’.
Speaking to The Indian Express, a teacher at the madrasa, Merajuddin Ansari, said the fan had not been working properly and it was sent for repair.
“We were not aware that ‘Made in Pakistan’ was written on it. The administration and police conducted an inquiry but nothing [suspicious] was found,” he said.
Ansari said the madrasa has been running since 1994 on donations from the public. Earlier, he said there were many teachers and students but due to a fund crunch, several left. Ansari said he is the lone teacher for 50 students.
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