After the Dehradun District Magistrate submitted a report stating that 57 madrasas in the district are running without registration, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said Wednesday that authorities would look into the “source of funding and the origins of such institutions”. The Dehradun DM’s report comes months after Dhami had ordered a verification drive for all madrasas in the state. According to DM Savin Bansal, Sadar Dehradun tehsil has 16 unregistered and eight registered madrasas, Vikasnagar tehsil has 34 unregistered and 27 registered ones, Dailwala has one registered and six unregistered, and Kalsi has one unregistered madrasa and no registered ones. Dhami told reporters on Wednesday, “Be it illegal madrasas or illegal encroachment, Devbhoomi Uttarakhand should not have either. We will remove encroachment. We have given orders for verification of madrasas. The Minority Department will check, and DM and SP will also run a verification drive. We will look into the source of funding and the origins of such institutions.” In October, Dhami directed the Additional Chief Secretary, Home, to immediately inspect all madrasas in the state. He had said that immediate legal action would be taken wherever any “unethical work” is being carried out. The Home Department has issued instructions to all DMs on this matter. The CM said that after the report is compiled, the government will decide what action will be taken. “We will decide if an FIR needs to be filed or the institutions should be sealed based on the extent of violations. Action will be taken according to the conditions…and whether they are adhering to the norms and set curriculum,” he said. Meanwhile, the Congress party questioned the timing of the verification drive. Garima Mehra Dasouni, the chief spokesperson of the Uttarakhand Congress, said: “The BJP has been in power in the state for eight years, yet illegal madrasas were never addressed before. However, since the start of their new term in 2022, actions seem to be taken under a particular agenda. The Congress party does not support illegal encroachments or such activities in any form, but the government should not adopt double standards.” President of Muslim Sewa Sangathan, Naeem Qureshi, said: “The Constitution has permitted minorities to open their educational institutions and practice, profess, and propagate their religion. We are not against verification drives, but there is a selective implementation. The government should also verify all educational institutions in the state so that we can rest assured that this is a secular drive.” According to an estimate, Uttarakhand currently has 522 registered madrasas, of which 419 are under the Uttarakhand Madrasa Board and 103 under the Waqf Board.
