Uttarakhand’s Madrassa crackdown: regulation or restriction of religious education?

Uttarakhand’s Madrassa crackdown: regulation or restriction of religious education?

S.M.A. KAZMI

Dehradun, Oct 29

As expected, Uttarakhand which has become the latest laboratory of Hindutva and anti -Muslim tirade for the past decade under BJP/RSS dispensation, it would be difficult to impart religious education particularly in the Islamic seminaries known as ‘Madrassas’ and only religious curriculum prepared by the newly formed Minority Education Authority would be taught. Any violation and attempt to teach ‘Quran’ and ‘hadith’ as were been done through centuries in the past would invite a fine of Rs. Five lakh and other penalties.

With the abolition of Madarassa Board by BJP government in Uttarakhand and replacing it with Uttarakhand State Minority Authority, it was the beginning of the end of Madrassa education in the country under the present ruling RSS/BJP dispensation. The Madrassa board in Uttarakhand has been abolished from June 30, 2026 and a new Minorities Education Authority will be the regulatory authorities of minority education in the state.

Although, the nomenclature of Uttarakhand State Minority Authority has been camouflaged covering all the minorities except Hindu majority, practically it is aimed at strangling religious education being imparted to Muslims through the Madrassa education system.

Now, a significant amendment has been made to the Act governing the Minority Education Authority in Uttarakhand through the Uttarakhand Minority Education Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which was passed by the Uttarakhand legislative assembly at its Gairsain session held on October 27 and 28, 2026.The amendment introduced provisions for strict action against institutions that violate regulations concerning religious education.

The amendment states that if an investigation by the Minority Education Authority confirms a violation, the provisions allow for the closure of the institution, the imposition of a fine of up to five lakh rupees on its operators, and the appointment of a receiver. Furthermore, if any criminal activity is uncovered, an FIR (First Information Report) may be registered under the relevant laws.

Interestingly, the BJP state government which has spearheaded the campaign against ‘Madrassas’ gave a concession in the amendment act stating  that before any such action is taken by the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority, the operators of the concerned institution will be given an opportunity to be heard. The amendment bill introduced a new provision to Section 16 of the original Act, which outlines the actions to be taken in the event of a violation.

Under this, if the Authority receives information that an institution is imparting religious education in violation of Section 3, sub-section (1) of the Act, or is breaching the conditions stipulated in Section 14, an investigation into the matter may be initiated. If the investigation confirms a violation, the Uttarakhand Minority Education Authority may take appropriate action.

Actions that may be taken by the Uttarakhand Minority Education Authority:

Upon confirmation of a violation of the rules, the concerned institution may be closed down, fine of up to five lakh rupees may be imposed on the operators of the institution,a receiver may be appointed for the concerned institution, If any criminal activity is discovered during the investigation, an FIR may be registered under the applicable laws but before any action is taken, the operators of the institution will be provided with a full opportunity to present their side.

The Uttarakhand Minority Education Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026, also defines the role of the ‘competent authority’ regarding the recognition of institutions up to Class 8. Changes have been made to the provisions concerning the definition and recognition of minority educational institutions. Specifically, Section 2 of the original Act has been amended to clarify the definition of an educational institution by categorizing it into two groups.

The first category includes institutions that provide education up to Class 8; such institutions are required to obtain recognition from the competent authority that are the district education officers. The second category comprises institutions that provide education from Class 9 to Class 12; for these, a provision for affiliation with the Uttarakhand Board of School Education has been made.

The State Minority Education Authority has already developed a religious education curriculum following consultations with experts from various faiths and religious leaders.

It is feared that the same template would be adopted by other BJP ruled states to abolish Madrassa education system in their respective states in the coming days and years. It would be on the lines of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) which was first implemented by Uttarakhand and later adopted by Gujarat, Assam and now West Bengal. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, is the hero of the RSS Hindutva brigade and pioneered in inventing several forms of ‘Jehads” starting with ‘Land Jehad’, ‘Love jehad’, ‘Mazar Jehad’, ‘Thook Jehad’ and ‘Nakal Jehad’. He himself personally had been leading a ‘Jehad’ against Madrassas, Mazars and Masjids in the state in the past five years. Vilifying the Madrassas of spreading bigotry and Islamic fundamentalism, he had closed more than 200 madrassas and bulldozed more than 600 mazars through the state.

With state assembly polls only three months away, the pitch of anti-Muslim rhetoric has become louder. Chief Minister Dhami announced that abolition of Friday as a holiday in the ‘Madrassas’ while action against minority institutions continue unabated in the state as two minority run schools in Roorkee area of Haridwar district were sealed in the past two days. Two ‘mazars’ were also raised in Udham Singh Nagar district for being ‘illegal’. Already, various senas and dals have been unleashed by the ruling dispensation on Muslims throughout the state who are harassing the minority community on daily basis. Two days ago a mosque in Sevla Kalan area of Dehradun which is registered with wakf board was raided by Bajrang dal members along with police on the charges of being ‘illegal’.

The BJP/RSS has unleashed the time tested  ‘Gujarat model’ remedy of deflecting the more pressing public issues through vilification of the minority Muslim community. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami who would completing his term boast of implementing Uniform Civil Code (UCC), action against ‘Love Jehad’, ‘Land Jehad’, ‘Thook Jehad’, ‘Mazar Jehad’ and now action against ‘Madrassas’ as his biggest achievements deflecting attention from the basic issues confronting the state and it’s inhabitants.

Hafiz Shahnazar, a spokesmen of the Jamiat-Ulema-Hind, a body of clerics said that a large number of Madrassas in Uttarakhand have been shut due to crackdown by the state government. “Interestingly, while the government wants the Madrassas to affiliate with Minority Education Authority but the authority has no staff or infrastructure to function,” he added.

“ The future of hundreds of students of had been taking education in Madrassas that have been shut is in the dark as nobody is bothered about them since they are poor and above all Muslims,” said Khursheed Ahmed Siddiqui, a social worker.

Out of 425 madrassas which were earlier, registered with the now disbanded state government Madrassas board, 179 have closed while 19 have been sealed. The Minority education Authority has given affiliation to 35 institutions including 33 Madrassas and two other minority institutions.