West Bengal Orders 252 Madrasas Closed as 5,000 Delegates Gather in Deoband

The West Bengal government has recently decided to close 252 unapproved madrasas. Not only in West Bengal, governments in various Indian states are also taking steps to close large numbers of madrasas said to lack approval across the country, and surveys aimed at closing many madrasas have also begun.

In this situation, a large conference has been organised for tomorrow, 27 October, in Deoband town in Uttar Pradesh. About five thousand madrasa representatives from different parts of India will take part in the conference, organised by Darul Uloom Deoband, one of South Asia's most influential Islamic educational institutions.

At the conference, held under the banner of the all-India madrasa directors' organisation Rabita-i-Madaris Islamia, discussions will cover improving the quality of Islamic education and strengthening the administrative management of the institutions.

Special importance will be given in the discussions to the various challenges in running madrasas, maintaining transparency in documents and financial accounts, and strengthening security arrangements. Before the conference begins, Darul Uloom's executive committee, Majlis-e-Amila, will review the decisions of the previous meeting and finalise the agenda.

The institution's rector, Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, has said all preparations to welcome guests arriving from different regions of the country are in their final stage.

In West Bengal, too, madrasas have come under pressure. After the newly formed BJP government took power in the state, it began a wide survey to verify madrasas' infrastructure and approval. After that survey, ordered by Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari, instructions were given to close about 252 madrasas in the state at once.

In addition, another 100 madrasas have been given show-cause notices over allegations of serious irregularities and lack of necessary infrastructure. The administration has also announced strict legal action in due course if the replies to the show-cause notices are not satisfactory.

In a second phase, the West Bengal cabinet has taken a policy decision to close, in phases, another 250 private but recognised madrasas that have negligible numbers of students and infrastructure deficits. In addition, about 2,500 unapproved madrasas could face possible phased monitoring.

Among the surveyed institutions, 2,132 madrasas were running with valid government approval, while 2,396 madrasas were being run without any government registration, the survey found.

The first approved madrasa was established in Kolkata in 1780, two and a half centuries ago. Although mainly Muslim students attend these madrasas, Hindu students also study in West Bengal's madrasas.

Madrasa board sources say the highest number of closure orders, 45 madrasas, were given in Malda district, adjoining the Bangladesh border. Next on the list are North Dinajpur, South 24 Parganas, Murshidabad and Nadia districts.