Officials maintain that the inquiry is merely a preventive measure to ‘ensure that extremist or anti-social forces are not misusing religious schools’
NEW DELHI — Authorities have launched an aggressive campaign targeting Muslim institutions in Uttar Pradesh as sleuths widen their probe in the November 10 Red Fort blast in the national capital. Accordingly, eight districts in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj zone have been directed to provide detailed records of madrasas, their students, teachers and religious scholars associated with them.
The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in the state has formally sought the details covering student rosters, teaching personnel, and management across Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Banda, Hamirpur, Chitrakoot, and Mahoba, officials said.
A letter issued by the ATS on November 15 asked the district minority welfare offices to supply a full list of students (with their names, fathers’ names, mobile contacts, and addresses) and details of ulema and madrasa teachers.
Sources in Prayagraj confirmed that the district’s report back to ATS lists 206 madrasas, including 43 government-aided institutions and 169 private ones, as submitted by the Minority Welfare Officer, media reports said on Thursday.
Madrasas and mosques have come under intense security after the Delhi blast with reports suggesting that the top suspect Dr Umar-Un Nabi had links with some madrasas. However, ATS officers in Lucknow said the inquiry is merely a preventive measure to “ensure that extremist or anti-social forces are not misusing religious schools.” They stated that initial data will be followed by ground-level verifications to assess potential risks.
Officials clarified that this directive currently applies only to those eight districts and does not reflect a statewide policy. Prayagraj’s Minority Welfare Officer told media that his office has already compiled and submitted the requested details. According to him, ATS will cross-check the data with field visits and other intelligence inputs to validate its reliability.
