Third madrassa 'linked to Qaida' razed in Assam

GUWAHATI: The Assam government on Wednesday demolished another madrassa linked to al-Qaida at Kabaitari in Bongaigaon district.

The Markazul Ma'arif Qariana Madrassa, housed in a two-storied building, is the third such institution to be bulldozed this month by the state government after police found that these places were being used as hubs for terror activities. Eight bulldozers were used to raze the structure.
Earlier on Friday, police arrested one of the teachers of the madrassa, Mufti Hafizur Rahman, an alleged member of Bangladesh-based Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), which is an affiliate of al-Qaida in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). Rahman had joined the madrasa as a teacher in 2018.
On Monday, when the second madrassa set up by a Bangladeshi national and member an al-Qaida affiliate illegally on government land in 2019 was razed by authorities in Barpeta district, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said these demolished institutions were being used "as a hub for terrorism."
The first madrassa, which was run by an alleged fund raiser of AQIS, was razed in Morigaon district on August 4.
AIUDF chief and Lok Sabha MP Badruddin Ajmal, for the first time on Wednesday, appealed to Sarma to spare the madrassas from bulldozers.
'Sarma should desist from using bulldozers'
Take action against jihadis but spare the madrassas which are public properties. Using bulldozers is a culture in Uttar Pradesh but not in Assam. Sarma being an Assamese should desist from engaging bulldozers. I can say that Sarma being an Assamese can never imbibe the characters of RSS. This culture of RSS is not in his blood," Ajmal said.
On Tuesday, police raided the madrassa along with the arrested teacher Mufti and found several objectionable items and literature. About 200 students staying in the religious institution were evacuated by the district authorities. The district disaster management authorities ordered the demolition of the madrassa on the grounds that it does not possess necessary and essential documents to carry out multipurpose activities on a single campus with multiple buildings with unspecified number of persons.
"The district disaster management authorities had issued a notice to the madrassa for violation of building norms and declared that it was not fit for human habitation. All the students have left for their homes," a police officer said.