District authorities call the seminaries ‘illegal’; Muslims say their children are now left with nowhere to go and no immediate alternative for their education
FARRUKHABAD/NEW DELHI – Hundreds of Muslim families in Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh have been shocked and worried as more than 40 madrasas have been shut down by the district administration recently. Officials have declared these religious schools “illegal”, following a state-wide investigation ordered by the Yogi Adityanath government.
According to District Magistrate Ashutosh Dwivedi, a total of 120 madrasas were examined across the district, and 42 were immediately closed for not having proper registration or documents. A letter has been sent to the registrar for further action, and investigations into many more madrasas are still pending.
Parents of students say their children have been left in the lurch. Without any alternative schooling arrangements, many fear the children will spend their days without purpose.
“My son used to go to the madrasa every day to learn the Qur’an and basic education. Now it is shut. Where will he go? There is no school nearby we can afford,” said Mohammad Shamim, a father of two in Farrukhabad.
“These madrasas were not just schools; they were shelters for the poor,” said Rehana Bano, a widow whose daughter was studying in one of the closed institutions. “Our children will now be helpless, roaming the streets. Who will take responsibility if they fall into bad company?”
The district administration maintains that its actions are based on legal grounds. District Magistrate Dwivedi said, “We found that more than half of the madrasas in the district were illegal. They were running without proper registration. Some may have taken advantage of government schemes fraudulently. These will be probed in detail.”
He added, “We will check if these madrasas ever received government scholarships or funding. If found, we will recover the money. Also, we are looking into whether the students were properly registered.”
Despite raising questions about these institutions, the administration has not announced any concrete plans to accommodate the displaced children or help poor parents find new options.
District Minority Welfare Officer Jitendra Kumar told the media that while 42 madrasas have already been closed, only 74 remain operational in the district. He added that even those 74 may face action soon.
“We are examining all madrasas in the district. Recovery proceedings may also be initiated against those who took government money without valid documents,” Kumar said.
Muslim community members say the government’s sudden move has hurt the poorest the most. Madrasas in rural and backward parts of the district have for long served as the only source of basic education and moral guidance for poor Muslim children.
“Many of these children come from families that can’t afford regular private schools. Some are orphans or children of daily wage labourers,” said local activist Irshad Ali. “If these madrasas were illegal, that is the administration’s failure too. Why were they allowed to run for years? Why shut them suddenly and punish the children?”
He added, “This action looks more like a crackdown on Muslim education than a legal step. Where is the plan for the rehabilitation of these children?”
Several madrasa teachers said they feel victimised by what they called a one-sided action.
“I have been teaching here for ten years. Suddenly, they say we are illegal. If there was a mistake in papers, they could have given us time to correct it,” said Maulana Zubair, who taught in a madrasa that was shut last week. “We feel targeted because we are Muslims. There is no such action on schools run by other communities.”
Another teacher, who did not wish to be named, said, “Our madrasa had over 60 children, all from very poor families. Now they sit at home doing nothing. The government talks about education for all — what about these children?”
Human rights observers say this is not the first time madrasas have come under attack in Uttar Pradesh. Over the past few years, the state government has repeatedly pushed for strict surveillance of madrasa functioning, syllabus changes, and even proposals for shutting down certain institutions altogether.
“There is a pattern here,” said Noor Jahan, a researcher working on minority education rights. “First, they accuse madrasas of illegal activities without proof, then shut them down, and then don’t provide any support to the affected children. This isn’t just about legality, it’s about marginalising an entire community’s education system.”
Many parents demanded clarity from the authorities instead of sudden action. “If there were faults in documents, they should have given a notice or helped us fix it,” said Amina Khatoon, whose three children were studying at a madrasa that was closed last week. “Now we have no idea what to do next. We don’t have the money to send them to a private school.”
A group of parents and local leaders is planning to meet the district officials and demand that the madrasas be reopened or alternative education arrangements be made for their children.
Community elders in Farrukhabad have appealed to the state government to take a more humane approach.
“We are not against rules,” said Hafiz Abdul Rahman, a senior madrasa head. “But don’t destroy the future of our children in the name of paperwork. If documents are missing, give us time. Help us fix things. Don’t throw our children out like this.”
The closure of madrasas in Farrukhabad has opened a deep wound in the hearts of many Muslims in the district. While the administration claims it is acting within the law, the affected people say they are being punished for being poor and for being Muslim.
For now, hundreds of children sit at home, uncertain of their future — waiting for answers, waiting for school, waiting for justice.
