To keep out ‘jihadis’, Assam to monitor private madrassas

Guwahati: Assam will monitor the functioning of about 2,500 madrassas under private managements in the state in a bid to plug the holes through which several ‘jihadi’ elements, including a Bangladeshi national, had entered these religious schools in the garb of teachers in the last few months.
At a meeting between DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, state secondary education director Mamta Hojai and the representatives of five private madrassa education boards on Wednesday, it was decided that before engaging any teacher from outside the state, the madrassas will have to seek police verification of the individual and that the distance between two madrassas will have to be three kilometers. Also, each madrassa will have to have a minimum enrolment of 100 students.
Besides, these private boards must upload the details of the madrassas affiliated to them by December 1.
The private madrassa boards said they have accepted the government’s initiative but want the latter not to disrupt the theological study system in the madrassas.
The five private madrassa education boards are All Assam Tanzim Madaris Qaumiya, All Assam Talimi Tarakkee Board, Madras Education Board All Hafis (Salafi), Adara Madaris Islamia and All Assam Ahle Sunat Madrasa.
A spokesman of Assam Police said, “It has been made clear that no ‘jihadi’ can be allowed to take shelter in any madrassa in the state in the name of religious teachers.”
The police have nabbed 84 ‘jihadis’ in the state since 2016 out of which 10 were found to have links with madrassas. Two Bangladeshi nationals, who were engaged in a madrassa in Goalpara district, are absconding.
The state government demolished three madrassas in three districts in September after these were found to be used as hub of ‘jihadi’ activities by the arrested AQIS/ABT module.