An alarming incident was reported from Delhi recently where two media persons were made hostage by madrasa operators for asking questions about the illegality of the place.
According to the reports, a media team of ‘Headlines India’ had reached the Nizamuddin area of Delhi to visit the Jamia Arabia Madrasa on Tuesday. The operators of the Jamia Arabia Madrasa which is looked after by the Nizamia Welfare Education Society initially stopped the reporter and the camera person from entering the Madarsa and later made them hostage.
The video of the incident was posted by the media channel on September 6 in which the Madrasa operator and his associate could be seen pushing the reporter and threatening the camera person to stop shooting the incident. The media team of ‘Headlines India’ had reached the Madarsa to show the truth about the illegality of the Madarsa. Reports mention that the Madarsa in question is illegally constructed on the land of LDO (Land and Development Office) and that it is engaged in illegal operations.
Notably, several FIRs have also been filed against the madrasa, copies of which were produced by the media team to the Madrasa operators. When asked about the complaints, the operators avoided the questions and claimed the FIR copies produced by the media team were fake. However, the operator later confirmed that the madrasa was built illegally on the land of LDO and that the civil suit was underway at the Court.
It is important to note that recently Uttar Pradesh announced that it would survey unrecognized madrasas of the state to ascertain information such as several teachers and students, curriculum, and its affiliation with any non-government organization. In this regard, orders have also been given to the District Magistrates of all the districts in the state.
Minister of State for Minority Affairs Danish Azad Ansari had earlier said that the survey would be conducted as per the requirements of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) which wants to check on basic facilities being provided to students in Madarsas.
The minister stated further that the survey would help gather other details also such as the name of the madrasa and the institution operating it, whether it is being run in a private or a rented building, and information regarding basic facilities of drinking water, furniture, electricity supply, and toilet, etc. The decision was meanwhile backed by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind led by several Islamic clerics on Tuesday.
Also, in the state of Assam, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma is taking efforts to eliminate illegal Islamic institutions and those engaged in illegal activities. The Sarma government demolished three Madarsas in Assam which were illegally operating and engaging in terrorist activities. Many clerics associated with these madrasas were also arrested by the police. Also on Tuesday, the inhabitants of Goalpara town in Assam razed a Madarsa which was engaged in anti-national activities. The Madarsa cleric named Jalaluddin Sheikh was also arrested.
