Muzaffarnagar: The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has raised objection to the notices issued to more than a dozen madrasas in Muzaffarnagar district by the basic education department of Uttar Pradesh warning of a hefty fine of Rs 10,000 per day if found to have opened without registration, besides calling it unlawful.
Maulana Zakir Husain, the secretary of the Uttar Pradesh unit of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, accused the authorities of unfairly targeting a specific community, asserting that madrasas provide free education and cannot afford the imposed fine of Rs 10,000 per day.
The basic education department of Uttar Pradesh has issued notices to more than a dozen madrasas in Muzaffarnagar district for operating without registration, warning them of a hefty fine of Rs 10,000 per day if found to have opened.
According to official sources, there are approximately 24,000 madrasas in Uttar Pradesh, with 16,000 holding official recognition and 8,000 operating without the required authorization.
The unregistered madrasas served notices have been given a tight deadline of three days to produce relevant documents, failing which they could face legal consequences.
Muzaffarnagar Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Shubham Shukla stated that the district minority department informed his office about over a hundred unregistered madrasas operating against established norms.
Simultaneously, in Lucknow, a senior official disclosed that around 4,000 madrasas in the state are under scrutiny for allegedly receiving foreign funds. To investigate the matter, the state government has established a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The focus of the investigation will be on the alleged foreign funds, examining if they were utilized for illegal activities such as terrorism or forced religious conversion. And madras in areas bordering Nepal are being given particular attention in the probe.