The move follows heightened vigilance after the murder of 17-year-old Surya Pratap Chauhan, a Class 11 student from Navneet Vihar Colony, Khora
GHAZIABAD — In what critics describe as part of a broader targeting of madrasas and other Muslim institutions, the Ghaziabad district administration in Uttar Pradesh sealed Madrasa Rahmania Arabia Qasim-ul-Uloom in Khora locality on Monday, citing a lack of registration with the Madrasa Board. Two other madrasas were also sealed during the drive.
The action falls under the administration’s ‘Operation Clean Sweep’, which officials say aims to curb criminal activity and strengthen law enforcement. However, the focus on madrasas has drawn attention amid concerns of selective enforcement.
District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mandar visited Khora to review the operation. He briefed officials on the strategy and assessed ongoing verification and enforcement measures by the administration and police.
The inspection follows heightened vigilance after the murder of 17-year-old Surya Pratap Chauhan, a Class 11 student from Navneet Vihar Colony, Khora. Police said Surya was stabbed during an altercation on May 28 and later died at a private hospital in Noida.
“The chief minister has issued instructions in recent days to take action against criminals across the entire state. In continuation of that, an operation called ‘Clean Sweep’ is being carried out in Khora,” DM Mandar told IANS.
He said the administration conducted a detailed verification of properties, landlords, tenants, and occupants to identify illegal activity and ensure legal compliance.
“Following the verification, three madrasas were marked which were not registered with the Madrasa Board. Therefore, all three are being sealed today,” he said.
Mandar added that the drive would continue “until complete verification is carried out to ensure that no illegal activity takes place in any property and that no miscreant can commit any crime.”
As part of the campaign, authorities held a large-scale flag march across Khora to project police presence and signal what they called a zero-tolerance approach to crime.
Police identified the main accused in the Surya Pratap Chauhan murder as Asad, who carried a Rs 50,000 reward. He was killed in an encounter late Saturday night by Khora and Indirapuram police. According to police, Asad opened fire on the team and sustained injuries in retaliatory firing before dying during the operation.
Since the murder, Ghaziabad Police have remained on heightened alert and launched an extensive search and verification campaign across Khora, with unregistered madrasas becoming an immediate focus of the sweep.
