Along with gathering basic details on madrasas, the Uttar Pradesh Government must also get information on the assets held by the Islamic educational institutions and the visits abroad by their management and staff, a member of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) has demanded.
The MRM has links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Rao Musharraf Ali, senior leader and convener of the Saharanpur unit of the MRM, told The Hindu, “In the national interest, it is necessary to hold an inquiry into the foreign trips and assets of those who are associated with madrasa management. In Saharanpur or Deoband, whenever students have been arrested for terror activities, the link with madrasas has come out.”
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Mr. Ali also alleged that madrasa representatives receive money through hawala networks and might have links with anti-India elements.
“Why do these people go for foreign trips? They receive money from middle eastern countries through hawala networks, so when the inquiry across U.P. happens, these things will come out,” Mr. Ali said.
Uttar Pradesh officials have started a survey of madrasas and the report is required to be submitted to the State government by October 25.
Many Muslim organisations and all the major Opposition parties have criticised the State Government, alleging that the ruling dispensation was bent on terrorising the Muslim community with such acts and indulging in a “malicious” move to disparage the madrasa system.
The State Government has maintained that the survey aims to gather information about the details of teachers and students, curriculum, and the links of unrecognised madrasas with any non-government organisation.
It has further said that that it only wanted to check whether basic facilities were being provided to the students in these educational institutions. The government has also stated that it wants to connect students studying in madrasas with the modern education system and government welfare schemes.
