Madrasas in MP ‘forcing’ non-Muslim children for religious activities to face action

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Tuesday said his government will take stern action against those Madrasas that are forcing non-Muslim students to participate in religious activities outside their own religion.

Chairing the Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister said the Education Department has already issued a notification to verify the credentials of students enrolled in Madrasas operating in Madhya Pradesh.

He has instructed officials to be vigilant on the issue of the rights of the children and take tough action against those violating norms.

“The Chief Minister has asked officials to cancel the registration of Madrasas forcing children to participate in religious activities outside their own religion,” an official said.

Notably, the Madhya Pradesh government on Friday directed officials to verify the credentials of students enrolled in Madrassas receiving government grants. The directive also mandated that no religious education should be imparted without the consent of children’s parents or guardians.

The order was issued on the recommendation of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), wherein the commission had alleged that some madrassas had fabricated the names of students to obtain government grants.

Madhya Pradesh has around 2,650 registered Madrassas. Every registered Madrassa gets an annual grant from the government. Officials said that over 500 unregistered Madrassas are operating in the state.