Assam DGP orders state Madrasas to provide information on location, teachers to state government by December 1

Madrasas in Assam have been directed to provide complete information about their institutions, including their location and teachers they employ to the state government by December 1.

Director General of Police (DGP) Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, Director of Secondary Education Mamata Hojai, other government officials, and representatives of Madrasas met and decided to make December 1 the deadline, the official said.

The Madrasas must provide information to the directorate for secondary education through the organisations they are affiliated with, the official added.

After teachers employed by these institutions were detained in the state earlier this year for their claimed connections to Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Ansarullah Bangla Team, other Madrasas in the state came under scrutiny.

This year alone, 47 people—including the teachers—have been detained in the state on suspicion of having connections to extremist groups.
It needs mention here, DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta in a crucial meet with representatives of the religious minority groups on September  6 announced few suggestions with respect to reforms in the laws of the Madrasa Boards and its subsequent implementation

The representatives of the religious minority groups assured to partake the responsibilities of bringing in all the unregistered Madrasas under the jurisdiction of the Madrasa Boards of the state and function as per the laws and regulations of the state.

“Any Madrasa functioning without affiliation to any board or organization will be brought under the jurisdiction or added under a particular Board. We ourselves don’t want such Madrassas flourishing in the state that do not have any allegiance to any particular board,” said Moulana Abdul Quadir Quasimi, All Assam Tanzim Madaris Madrassa Board.

“One thing is final, any individual or group found to be involved in any anti-national, anti-religious activities will be strictly tackled with. Hence, whatever support DGP Mahanta has requested from us, will be provided 100 percent. Earlier too we had publicly expressed our support to the police and today too we stand by our decision,” added Moulana Abdul Quadir Quasimi.

Praising DGP Mahanta’s suggestion of introducing general subjects such as mathematics, geography etc in the general Madrasa curriculum, the heads of the religious minority boards have assured to implement the suggestion after due negotiations with members of all board heads.

Speaking about the police verification of Imams and teachers coming from other states to Assam, Moulana Abdul Quadir Quasimi said that the due process will be initiated as per the legal format and all details of the Madrasa will be uploaded on the portal to be launched by the state government that will be started by the Assam Police.