18 Madrasas Sealed in Major Police Operation

Eighteen illegally operating madrasas (religious schools) have been sealed in a major operation involving a large police presence. This action has caused considerable consternation among madrasa operators. To prevent any disruption to public order, the operation was carried out completely secretly.

Police Crack Down on Illegal Madrasas in Uttarakhand: A major operation targeting illegal madrasas has been carried out by the police administration in the US Nagar district of Uttarakhand. On Tuesday, under the leadership of SDM Khatima Ravindra Bisht and Tehsildar Pooja Sharma, 10 madrasas were sealed in Sitarganj and surrounding areas, and 8 in Kashipur. Prior to this, teams inspected the madrasas. During the operation, the madrasas were found to be closed.

The madrasa operators were asked to produce documents, which they could not. Police and PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary) from Sitarganj, Kichha, Nanakmatta, Khatima, and Jhankiya police stations were deployed under the leadership of CO Bhupendra Singh Dhauni and CO Khatima Vimal Rawat. The revenue department team of Sitarganj, Nanakmatta, and Khatima tehsils conducted a checking campaign. The team found seven madrasas operating within mosques. Notices were affixed to these. Ten madrasas operating in private houses were sealed. The large police and administrative presence caused panic among the residents of the wards and neighbourhoods.

Operators Unable to Show Records

The operators of the illegal madrasas could not produce any records. They did not provide information about the children studying in the madrasas. The madrasa operators told the administration that the madrasas were closed and that they ran coaching classes, with the children attending schools. However, they also lacked records for the coaching classes. Some madrasas were operating within mosques. Those present included Kotwal Naresh Chauhan, Khatima Kotwal Manohar Singh Dasuni, Kotwal Jhankiya Devendra Gaurav, Kotwal Kichha Dhirendra Kumar, Inspector Anil Upadhyay, SO Pulbhatta Pradeep Mishra, SSI Vikram Singh Dhami, Khatima Virendra Sajwan, Kanoongo Khatima Rajkumar and Rishpal Singh, Navneet Singh Chauhan, Sanjay Kumar, and Anand Sharma.

Large-Scale Operation Conducted Secretly

Given the potential for resistance and threats to law and order during the action against the madrasas, the police administration conducted the operation entirely secretly. No one was informed beforehand about the large-scale operation. At 11 am on Tuesday, police from nearby police stations, PAC, and fire brigade vehicles arrived at the Kotwali. Within a short time, officers from Khatima, Nanakmatta, and Sitarganj had arrived.