Abdul Naeem’s privately funded school was razed despite all valid documents, triggering anger in Dhaba village of Bhainsdehi block in Betul district
NEW DELHI — In a disturbing incident that has caused anger and pain on the ground, the Madhya Pradesh administration bulldozed a private school built by a Muslim resident for poor children in a tribal village, raising serious questions about fairness, intent and the use of state power.
The school, SK Public School, was built by Abdul Naeem in Dhaba village of Bhainsdehi block in Betul district. The village has around 200 tribal Hindu families and only three Muslim families. Naeem said he spent nearly ₹20 lakh from his own savings to build the school so that children in the area would not be forced to study in the open.
“I built this school only for education,” Abdul Naeem told reporters. “There was no madrasa here, no religious teaching. These are poor children who need classrooms, not bulldozers.”
Trouble began after rumours were spread that the building was an illegal madrasa. Following the complaint, officials inspected the site. According to locals, the administration initially accepted that the land documents were valid, but raised an objection over the absence of a Panchayat no-objection certificate.
Naeem then obtained the NOC from the Gram Panchayat. Villagers say they believed the issue had been settled. However, despite this, the administration arrived with bulldozers and demolished the school building.
The action shocked residents of Dhaba village, many of whom openly stood with Naeem.
Ramesh, also known as Sonu, a local villager, said, “This school was being built with our consent. Our children were studying here. There was no illegal madrasa. We supported this school because education matters to us.”
Another villager said, “If a Muslim brother spends his own money to teach our children, why is his school destroyed? Nobody asked us. Nobody listened to us.”
The demolition has triggered wider outrage because media reports suggest that nearly 200 schools across Madhya Pradesh lack proper buildings, forcing students to sit under trees or in open fields. No bulldozer action has been seen at those sites.
“This shows clear bias,” said a local education activist. “When poor children suffer without buildings, the administration stays silent. When a Muslim builds a school with his own money, it is torn down.”
For many, the incident has become another example of what they call a growing obsession with bulldozers, often seen targeting Muslim-linked institutions under legal excuses, while larger failures in education remain ignored.
As the rubble of the school lies scattered, villagers say the real loss is not bricks and cement, but the future of their children.
“Books were crushed before they were even opened,” Abdul Naeem said quietly. “Is this how education is protected?”
