Uttarakhand: Day after illegal madrasa shut, CM orders inspection of all

On Sunday, acting on a complaint lodged by a parent of a child studying at the Nainital madrasa, a team formed by the district administration searched the premises and shut it down. The children living there were allegedly found to be living under unhygienic conditions, with no medical facility. According to the district administration, some of the children accused the madrasa chairman’s son of “misbehaving with them, touching them inappropriately, and beating them up”.

Haldwani City Magistrate Richa Singh said the madrasa had been running since 2010 but was not officially registered. After the findings, an FIR was registered under relevant sections of the IPC, Juvenile Justice Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the madrasa owner and his son.

The madrasa owner denied the allegations and said they were providing good education and living conditions to the children, but some of them might have lodged complaints. “We change their beds every year, we boil the drinking water. The allegations of children being beaten up are false. We provide medical treatment to children,” he said.