New in the Northeast | What's behind the demolitions of three madrasas in Assam?

Three different demolitions occurred in recent weeks, allegedly due to the madrasas' links to terror outfits. However, questions on this pattern of demolitions have arisen.

On August 4, Assam chief minister (CM) Himanta Biswa Sarma held a press conference in Guwahati where he disclosed the Northeastern state has become a hotbed for Islamic fundamentalism. The CM’s assertion was based on the busting of five “jihadi” modules with alleged links to Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a banned terror outfit of Bangladesh with links to al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), and arrests of 27 persons, including a Bangladeshi national since March.

Though the three private madrasas were razed soon after arrests of people connected to them with alleged links to terror outfits, the official reasons cited for the demolitions by the state government and district administration were different.  

The same day, a private madrasa in Morigaon district where 43 students were studying was demolished by local authorities using bulldozers. The madrasa had been sealed on July 28 following the arrest of its founder Mufti Mustafa, who allegedly had links with ABT and AQIS and used to shelter their operatives.

On August 29, another private madrasa was razed in Barpeta district following the arrest of two brothers, Akbar Ali and Abul Kalam Azad, with alleged links to jihadi outfits. The duo was accused of sheltering an ABT operative from Bangladesh, Mohammed Suman, who was working as an Arabic teacher in the madrasa and was also responsible for starting sleeper cells of the outfit.

Two days later, another private madrasa was demolished in Bongaigaon district on August 31. It followed the arrest of Hafizur Rahman, a teacher of the madrasa who allegedly had links with AQIS and ABT. It was the third private madrasa to be razed this month for alleged jihadi links.

A pattern to the demolitions

Though the three private madrasas were razed soon after arrests of people connected to them with alleged links to terror outfits, the official reasons cited for the demolitions by the state government and district administration were different.

“The madrasa was demolished under the provision of Disaster Management Act as well as Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) as it was constructed without permission from local authorities, had illegal electricity connection and it was unsafe,” CM Sarma said on August 4 after the first demolition in Morigaon district.

On August 29, after the second private madrasa was razed in Barpeta, the district superintendent of police Amitava Sinha told HT that it was demolished as the structure was built illegally without the required permission on government land.

The private madrasa in Bongaigaon district was demolished two days later following an order issued by the deputy commissioner a day earlier stating that it was “structurally vulnerable, unsafe for human habitation” and not constructed as per specified norms.

Before razing the building, nearly 200 students of the madrasa who were studying in the residential institution were sent back to their homes or shifted to nearby places.

Allegations and counter-allegations

On September 1, Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) and president of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) Badruddin Ajmal termed the ongoing move by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Assam of using bulldozers on private madrasas as illegal and demanded an immediate stop on such demolitions.

“The government has demolished three madrasas in one month. We have remained silent. If there’s any illegal activity, action should be taken against individuals. We are with the government on it,” Ajmal said during a visit to the madrasa demolished a day earlier in Bongaigaon.

“But private madrasas are built with donations from the public and using bulldozers to demolish them isn’t right. There’s rule of law and a Constitution in the country and the government should abide by it,” he added, stressing the party would move Supreme Court on the issue, if needed.

Terming the move as political, Ajmal said BJP was trying to instil fear among Muslims ahead of the 2024 general elections. Leaders from Opposition Congress and Raijor Dal have also questioned the government’s motive behind demolishing madrasas as part of its campaign against jihadi activities.

“We don’t have any plan to go on demolishing madrasas. Our only intention is to see that madrasas aren’t used by any jihadi elements. Once madrasas aren’t used for jihadi work or for the purpose of expanding jihadi ideology then why would there be demolitions?” CM Sarma said on Thursday, reacting to Ajmal.

“But if we get specific inputs on any madrasa is being used for expanding jihadi activity or anti-India activity under the guise of a madrasa, we are going to take strongest possible action in every such case. If AIUDF or Ajmal wants to go to court on the issue, who am I to stop him?,” he asked.

Last month, Sarma had said that hub of all jihadi activities in Assam appears to be madrasas as those arrested were either teaching in them or using them to shelter ABT operatives. He later announced that police verification and online registration will soon become mandatory for imams and madrasa teachers from outside the state.

A committee for regulations

Following the debate on the demolitions, on Sunday, office bearers of several organisations operating private madrasas in Assam had a detailed discussion with senior Assam Police officials on the issue of jihadi activities and how to put a lid on them.

“We had a fruitful discussion and it was decided to form a committee to ensure that all private madrasas in Assam are registered within the next six months. We have some existing rules, but we need to look at whether they are enough or if fresh guidelines need to be framed. Only rules are not enough, they need to be followed stringently,” said DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta after the meeting.

According to police records, there are around 3,000 private madrasas in Assam at present. A majority of them, 739 registered and nearly 200 unregistered, are operated by All Assam Taznim Madaris Quwmiya (AATMQ), an organisation headed by AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal.

“We don’t want any madrasas to operate without affiliation. The police have sought our help in regulating private madrasas and the new committee will look into all aspects of it,” said Maulana Abdul Qadir, secretary of AATMW.

“Muslims comprise around 30% of Assam’s population and of them, only a minuscule minority are involved in jihadi or anti-national activities. We have been advised by police to keep a tab on madrasa teachers coming from outside the state and get them registered on a portal to be started soon,” he added.

Last year, the Assam assembly passed the the Assam Repealing Act 2020 which led to the shutting down of government-run madrasas in the state so that they could be converted to regular schools.

Assam had 189 high madrasas and higher secondary madrasas that were under the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) and Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC). There were 542 pre-senior, senior and title madrasas and Arabic colleges under the State Madrasa Education Board. All of them had been dissolved following the legislation.

The new move didn’t affect private madrasas that don’t operate with government funding.