Saharanpur (UP): According to a government survey in Uttar Pradesh, the prominent Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband along with 306 other madrasas in the Saharanpur area were declared illegal as they are not recognised by the Uttar Pradesh Madarsa Education Board. Madrasas that are not approved by the Board are not eligible for government programmes like teacher salaries and scholarships, among others.
“An investigation was done on basis of parameters set by the administration like the year of establishment of the madrasa, the society that runs it, the name of the madrasa, and their source of income,” Bharat Lal Gond, District Minority Welfare Officer, said. “Whatever decision the administration takes, based on that complaint will be filed” he added.
According to Gond, there are currently 754 registered madrasas in Saharanpur. He added that there are 307 unrecognised madrasas in the area and that the administration has been informed of this as part of a survey it is doing on madrasas in the state. He claimed that the Madarsa Board does not recognise Darul Uloom Deoband. According to Gaur, the government set 12 points as the foundation for the survey of madrasas.
Darul Uloom Deoband’s vice chancellor, Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, said in a statement that the university has never accepted any type of aid or donation from a government. Despite not being registered with the Board, the seminary, according to him, carries out educational work in accordance with the Indian Constitution. According to Nomani, Darul Uloom’s “Shura Society” is registered under the Societies Act and the seminary functions per the Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom.
He stated that even though Darul Uloom Deoband has been providing education and serving the nation for more than 150 years, it has never accepted any type of aid or subsidy from any government. Saharanpur’s Islamic Institute in Deoband was founded on September 30, 1866.
Source: ANI, PTI
