Assam : Private board headed by Badruddin Ajmal runs 1,000 madarasas
Assam (4th August) – Nearly 1,000 private madarasas currently running in Assam are being considered for regulation by the State Government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. This follows the recent detention of 11 people in the Districts of Morigaon, Barpeta, Guwahati and Goalpara for their purported connections with international terrorist groups including Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and the Bangladesh-based Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).
The mastermind of this network, Mustafa alias Mufti Mustafa, was imprisoned with other people on 27th July 2022. He was a teacher at the Saruchala Al-Jamiatus Salihat Madarasatul Banat in the Saharia Gaon village of Morigaon.
According to a report, there are at least 1,000 private madarasas operating in Assam, up from 788 in 2016. The State Government has already made the decision to turn Government-aided madarasas into conventional schools.
Assam’s Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said, “We are collecting reports and examining if we can enforce certain rules in the private madarasas and give direction to impart modern education there. We are taking legal opinion”. Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, the Director General of the Assam Police, asserted that the Police had conducted a survey of these madarasas and had full information.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s strict action
Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that a few more madarasas will be investigated by the Police. According to a report, Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “We have already sealed two madarasas for their Jihadi links. The Government has the policy to seal madarasas if it gets any concrete complaints regarding their Jihadi links. The authorities will admit students of the sealed madarasas in nearby general schools”.
He added, “We have no Government madarasas in the State. We have already closed down 750 Government madarasas. Only privately run madarasas are operational. If we get any concrete information on their links with fundamentalists, we will not have any second thought to take action against them”.
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