Authorities claim the Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani Madrasa lacked recognition; hundreds of institutions face demolition
HAMIRPUR/NEW DELHI – In yet another blow to the Muslim community, the district administration of Hamirpur sealed a madrasa on the orders of District Magistrate Ghanshyam Meena, citing lack of recognition papers. The move comes as part of a wider campaign against what the state calls “illegal madrasas” in Uttar Pradesh.
The madrasa, named after the Sufi saint Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, had been operating in the Maudha Kotwali area. According to officials, when the investigation team asked for recognition documents, the management could not produce them within the deadline. Following this, the madrasa was sealed.
District officials said that rules do not allow any educational institution to run without valid recognition. “This is a violation of government guidelines. We cannot allow such institutions to function,” a senior officer stated.
But Muslim leaders and local residents argue that the crackdown is being carried out selectively against their institutions. Many say this action is less about rules and more about targeting a community.
Mohammad Irfan, a local resident, said: “Our children were learning here peacefully. Education is being snatched away from poor Muslim children in the name of documents. Why are only our madrasas being sealed?”
Another parent, Shabana Begum, whose son studied at the madrasa, expressed her pain: “We trusted this madrasa to teach our children both religion and basic education. Now the doors are closed. Where will our children go?”
Community leaders say the government is punishing Muslims for their faith. “They are bulldozing mosques, demolishing dargahs, and sealing madrasas. This is an attempt to erase Muslim identity and push us further into poverty,” said Maulana Rahmat Ali, imam at a nearby mosque.
The figures support the scale of the crackdown. In just one year, authorities claim to have demolished 429 religious structures along the UP-Nepal border, including mosques, madrasas, and dargahs. At least 57 madrasas were sealed in Shravasti, 28 in Maharajganj, 42 in Farrukhabad, and five in Bahraich. In Balrampur, five were demolished and 22 sealed, while in Siddharthnagar 18 faced action, with nine removed entirely.
Reports suggest that in Bahraich, Shravasti, and Siddharthnagar alone, more than 500 madrasas have been closed, and about 60 religious sites belonging to Muslims have been demolished.
Critics argue that such sweeping measures are not being applied to schools or institutions run by other communities. “The government is creating an atmosphere of fear. If rules are really the issue, then action should be equal for all. But only Muslims are suffering,” said Prof Khalid Ansari, a rights activist from Lucknow.
Legal experts also raise concerns over constitutional rights. The right to practice religion and run educational institutions is guaranteed under Articles 25 and 30 of the Indian Constitution. “When the state seals madrasas without giving adequate support or alternatives, it violates both education rights and minority rights,” said Advocate Aftab Alam, a lawyer at the Allahabad High Court.
The closures come at a time when many poor Muslim families depend on madrasas not just for religious learning but also for affordable education in basic subjects. With hundreds of such institutions sealed or demolished, thousands of children face disruption in their studies.
“Our children are being pushed into darkness. A society that does not allow its minorities to study has no future,” said Mohammad Arshad, a teacher who once worked in one of the sealed madrasas.
For the Muslim community in Uttar Pradesh, the fear is not just about one madrasa being sealed, but about a larger pattern. As one elderly resident in Hamirpur put it: “They want to bulldoze our faith, our education, and our dignity. But we will not lose hope. We will continue to demand our rights as citizens of India.”
