Bengal Orders Review of Madrasas to Identify Illegal Institutions

West Bengal Chief Minister Subhendu Adhikari has ordered a review of madrasas operating in the state, with a mandate to identify institutions that are illegal and to examine their activities. The exercise will determine which madrasas are legal and which are not, what is being taught in them and what takes place on their premises.

The directive follows concerns raised about unaided and unregistered madrasas. Two recent instances have drawn attention. In Haripal, Hooghly district, a madrasa has effectively become a banana plantation, with no classes, no functioning school and no teachers. In Islampur, Uttar Dinajpur, permission for the structure was granted several years ago, but the building now stands abandoned. Who visits such premises, for what purpose and what happens inside remains unclear.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has flagged security concerns, particularly regarding madrasas in districts along the Bangladesh border. An intelligence report cited in this context alleges that Bangladesh is being used as a route for Pakistani militants to enter Bengal and that border areas are being used for training. The apprehension is that religious institutions could serve as a cover for terrorist activity.

The issue is not new. During Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's tenure as Chief Minister, his government acknowledged the problem and, in 2002 and 2003, moved actively against illegal madrasas. Bhattacharjee told the Assembly that a section of madrasas in border districts had become a breeding ground for terrorism. The push drew protests from Jamaat, including rallies and demonstrations, and provoked a reaction within the CPM. He eventually had to distance himself from the campaign, as the party was unwilling to confront an issue with direct electoral implications.

On March 6, 2003, at a breakfast meeting, then Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani told Bhattacharjee that madrasas in West Bengal needed to be identified because some had become breeding grounds for terrorism. At the time, suspicions surrounded 408 of roughly 500 madrasas, and Bhattacharjee agreed to a review, which was never completed. The issue remained largely untouched during Mamata Banerjee's fifteen years in power.

Madrasas in Bengal fall into three categories: government-aided institutions, where the government provides support and pays teachers, numbering around 614 to 628; registered but unaided madrasas, around 601; and private, unregistered madrasas that run on donations. An intelligence report places the number of unregistered madrasas at approximately 11,000, a figure that has since grown. Among them are several Deobandi groups running around 750 madrasas. The contention now is that unregistered institutions need to be identified and reviewed.

The move has drawn strong reaction from Muslim organisations. Toha Siddiqui of Furfura Sharif has described it as anti-Muslim.

Security concerns also extend to the eastern sector, where terrorists are alleged to use Bangladesh as a base or route. The western coastal region was once an area of ISI activity; after the Bombay blasts, associated with Dawood Ibrahim and others, Intelligence Bureau surveillance increased and attention shifted to the eastern coast. Bengal became significant because of its geographical location and the lack of fencing along parts of the border, with concern that terrorists could spread from the state to other parts of the country.

The BJP's central leadership is also seeking consensus in the Assembly, proposing an all-party resolution carrying a clear message against terror. It believes greater precautionary measures are necessary for madrasas, particularly those in sensitive border areas.