Over 13,000 illegal madrassas found in Uttar Pradesh, SIT recommends closure: report
The SIT further revealed that majority of these madrasas are located in seven districts bordering Nepal, including Maharajganj, Shravasti and Bahraich.
Lucknow: In a shocking surprise, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Yogi Adityanath government on Thursday discovered around 13,000 illegal madrassas operating in the state. After making inquiries, the SIT submitted a detailed report to the state administration after investigating the state’s illegal madrasas. Moreover, the SIT has recommended closure of these madrasas.
According to Zee News TV sources, these identified illegal madrasas are located along the border with Nepal, with their construction financed through contributions from Gulf countries over the past two decades.
Moreover, the SIT’s report revealed shocking findings, including that majority of these madrasas were located in seven districts bordering Nepal, including Maharajganj, Shravasti and Bahraich.
The SIT report also states that each border district is home to more than 500 such madrasas, raising concerns about its proximity to the international border.
The research team also found financial records of these madrasas, but most have failed to provide a clear overview of their income and expenditure, fueling suspicions of a clandestine conspiracy to channel funds to terrorism through the construction of these educational institutions.
Although some madrassas claim to have been built with donations, they have failed to release the names of the contributors. Covering a total of 23,000 madrasas, the research team identified 5,000 with provisional recognition, some of which had not met accreditation standards for the past 25 years.
The development after the SIT confirmed that around 80 madrasas in border regions received funding totaling around Rs 100 crores from foreign sources. After this news was reported, the state government had directed the SIT to conduct a thorough and meticulous investigation into the activities of all madrassas in the state. The SIT was formed amid growing concerns over the possible misuse of funds, raising questions about the authenticity of the sources supporting these religious institutions.