Madrasas cannot enrol non-Muslim children: Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal: The state government decided that the madrasas and schools affiliated with the Madrasa board that receive state funding in Madhya Pradesh cannot enrol non-Muslim students. Also, the government announced that these madrasas and Madrasa board-affiliated schools cannot compel children to take religious education, Muslim Mirror reported.

Earlier, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) claimed that some madrasas were enrolling non-Muslim children to increase student numbers and secure more government grants. NCPCR also claimed that these non-Muslim children were forced to take religious studies and participate in religious activities. The claim had sparked a major controversy in the state.

As a follow-up to the NCPCR claims, the state government also decided to conduct a survey of non-Muslim children enrolled in the educational institutions mentioned above. The survey will be conducted as per the NCPCR recommendations.

The fresh announcement by the state government, through the State Education Department, also says that those students enrolled in Madrasas and schools affiliated with the Madrasa board may only engage in religious studies or activities with the explicit consent of their parents.

Earlier, the NCPCR Chairman Priyank Kanoongo said that if non-Muslim children are found enrolled in madrasas, the institution will lose their government grants and will get their registration cancelled.

According to Muslim Mirror, there were multiple instances of non-Muslim children being found enrolled in madrasas in Madhya Pradesh in recent months. This has led to a big outcry in the state. A report by NCPCR from June claimed that more than 9,000 Hindu children were identified as being enrolled madrasas in the state. The claim prompted the state government to initiate a probe.