Uttarakhand police will soon start a verification drive to check the status of madrasas across the state. The decision follows complaints that some madrasas may be operating illegally. Nilesh Anand Bharne, the state’s Inspector General of Police, said that the drive is being carried out under instructions from Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami’s office.
“The goal of this verification drive is to ensure transparency for all madrasas in the state. It is also necessary for the safety of children studying in these madrasas and to maintain law and order,” said Bharne.
The drive will include checking whether madrasas are properly registered, investigating their funding sources, and confirming if students from other states are attending. District magistrates have been ordered to form committees to carry out the checks, and they are expected to submit reports within a month.
Uttarakhand has around 415 madrasas affiliated with the Uttarakhand Madrassa Board and 117 under the Uttarakhand Waqf Board. There are also many unregistered madrasas in the state.
The move has sparked political controversy. Uttarakhand Congress chief Karan Mahara criticized the drive, calling it an attempt to divide the community. “They have been trying to target a particular community with their divisive politics,” Mahara said.
“First, they targeted religious structures in forests but gave up. Now, they are focusing on the Uniform Civil Code.”
In response, Shadab Shams, the BJP leader and head of the Uttarakhand Waqf Board, defended the drive. “Our government is acting with good intentions. We will take action against madrasas that are operating illegally. Madrasas that are properly registered will not be affected,” he said.
Political analyst SMA Kazmi also weighed in, stating that targeting the Muslim community has become a political strategy for the BJP in Uttarakhand. “Acts of hatred against Muslims have become a winning formula for the ruling party,” Kazmi said.
Uttarakhand has a Muslim population of about 13.9%, with the majority living in the Terai region. The districts of Haridwar and US Nagar have large Muslim populations, with over 34% and 22%, respectively.
