Muslim Leader Slams Uttar Pradesh Gov't Over Conducting Survey of Unrecognized Madrasas

Notably, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday announced that it would conduct a survey of unrecognized madrasas in the state to gather information about the number of teachers, curricula, and basic facilities available, such as drinking water and electricity supply, among other things.

Prominent Indian Muslim lawmaker Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday slammed the state government of Uttar Pradesh for conducting a survey of unrecognized madrasas.

“Madrasas are as per Article 30 of Indian Constitution then why Uttar Pradesh government has ordered the survey? It's not a survey but a mini-NRC [National Register of Citizens]. Some madrasas are under Uttar Pradesh madrasa board. Government can't interfere with our rights under Article 30. They want to harass Muslims,” All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Owaisi complained.

Article 30 of the Indian Constitution gives the right to all the minority communities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.

Under the NRC, it is mandatory for people to show documentary evidence such as a birth certificate or property papers that indicate their ancestors lived in India before 1971. As of now, it has been implemented in Assam, while the federal home minister has said that it will be implemented across the country. The proposal to implement the NRC across the country saw massive protests during in December 2019 by Muslims, as they believed it was discriminatory against them.

Owaisi's comments, however, evoked a strong response from top Hindu organization Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).

VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said in a tweet in Hindi: “The mentality of those who are raising objections on the government survey of madrasas is clear. If there is nothing objectionable inside, why are they fearing and if there is something objectionable, how can they stop the government from taking action?”

While talking to the media about the government’s decision, Minister of State for Minority Affairs Danish Azad Ansari assured that the survey would be conducted “in accordance with the requirements of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).“

According to media reports, a total of 16,461 madrasas are operational in the state, of which only 560 have been provided government funding. Apart from this, no new madrasas have been recognized in the state in the last six years.

In May, the state government decided to cease funding for building new madrasa, while they also made singing the national anthem mandatory for all students and teachers in Islamic schools.