Authorities act against Kuliatul Banatir Razavia Madrasa in Sant Kabir Nagar, linking it to British-Indian cleric Maulana Shamsul Huda Khan
SANT KABIR NAGAR – Tension and fear spread among Muslims in Uttar Pradesh after authorities sealed Kuliatul Banatir Razavia Madrasa in Sant Kabir Nagar on Tuesday. The madrasa was run under the guidance of Maulana Shamsul Huda Khan, a British-Indian Islamic scholar, who is already in police custody following allegations of foreign funding.
Muslims in the region see the move as another act of discrimination, part of a series of steps that have increasingly singled out Muslim-run institutions in recent years.
The madrasa was sealed in the presence of Sub-Divisional Magistrate Arun Kumar, Circle Officer Ajay Singh, and the District Minority Welfare Officer. Officials said the madrasa was being run in a newly built structure without proper authorisation.
According to local records, Kuliatul Banatir Razavia received official recognition in 2017 on a different piece of land. However, the madrasa was later shifted to a new building purchased in 2018. In February 2024, the District Magistrate’s Court declared that the land of the new building belonged to the state government. Despite that order, teaching continued at the site.
Authorities claimed that the madrasa continued to function illegally, which led to Tuesday’s sealing. The madrasa was reportedly still teaching dozens of girls at the time of the action.
Maulana Shamsul Huda Khan, who once worked as a teacher at a government-aided madrasa in Azamgarh, has been accused by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of receiving funds from abroad for madrasa construction.
He lived in the United Kingdom between 2007 and 2017, during which he obtained British citizenship. The ATS alleges that after acquiring citizenship, he participated in Islamic events in several countries, including Pakistan, where he delivered religious lectures.
Authorities argue that he lived abroad and accepted funds without proper government approval. Two days before the madrasa was sealed, the District Minority Welfare Officer, acting on the instructions of the Registrar of the Madrasa Education Council, filed a case against him. However, Muslims in the area insist that these allegations are being exaggerated to tarnish the image of Islamic institutions and create fear among the community.
“Every time a Muslim cleric gets foreign help for education or charity, it is treated as a crime,” said Maulana Rashid Qasmi, a scholar based in Lucknow. “When others receive support from abroad, it is called cultural cooperation. Why this double standard?”
The decision to seal Kuliatul Banatir Razavia has upset and frightened many local Muslims. For them, the sight of police officers closing the gates of a girls’ madrasa is a painful symbol of rising bias.
“We are not against the law,” said Mohammad Faizan, a local teacher. “If there was any issue with the land, it could have been sorted out through dialogue. Why humiliate the institution in front of the whole town?”
Saira Bano, a social worker in Gorakhpur, said the action would hurt the education of poor Muslim girls. “Madrasas are not centres of extremism; they are places where children learn faith and values. By closing them, the government is destroying their only source of learning,” she said.
This is not the first time a madrasa has faced government pressure in Uttar Pradesh. Over the past few years, several Muslim-run schools have been accused of irregularities, with many either shut down or placed under investigation.
The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat has criticised the sealing of the madrasa, calling it “a deliberate attempt to criminalise Muslim education.”
“Instead of helping madrasas modernise, the government is branding them as centres of illegal activity,” said Dr Abdul Qadir, the organisation’s spokesperson. “This behaviour is clearly discriminatory and goes against the principles of the Indian Constitution.”
Officials, however, deny that the action was motivated by religion. “The madrasa was sealed as per legal procedure. It was operating on government land without permission,” said a government spokesperson in Sant Kabir Nagar. “No community is being targeted. The same rules apply to everyone.”
But Muslim residents say such statements no longer carry weight. They argue that the government’s record shows a pattern of selective enforcement.
“If a Hindu-run school faces a land issue, officials give time to sort it out,” said Abdul Rahman, a shopkeeper in Khalilabad. “But when it’s a Muslim madrasa, they arrive with police, lock the gates, and call it a security concern.”
Rights groups say that beyond the legal dispute lies a troubling social reality — Muslims increasingly feel unsafe expressing their faith or running their own institutions.
“These actions send a message that Muslims should not build or manage their own schools,” said Asma Parveen, a teacher at another girls’ madrasa nearby. “We love our country and follow the law, but we are made to feel like outsiders.”
The closure of Kuliatul Banatir Razavia is not just the story of one madrasa. It represents the growing anxiety of millions of Indian Muslims who feel that their identity, education, and faith are being systematically undermined. As the gates of the madrasa remain locked and the sound of students’ recitation fades, many in Sant Kabir Nagar are left wondering whether this action was about law — or about silencing an entire community’s voice.
“This is not about land or funding,” said Maulana Qasmi, looking visibly disturbed. “This is about dignity — and about being treated as equal citizens in our own country.”
