Kolkata (Gurpreet Singh) — The West Bengal government has ordered the immediate shutdown of 252 madrassas and served formal show-cause notices to approximately 100 others following a comprehensive statewide audit. Conducted across all districts since early June, the departmental survey identified widespread operational irregularities, including a lack of requisite statutory approvals and inadequate basic infrastructure.
The administrative crackdown follows direct orders from Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to evaluate and regulate institutional compliance among both government-assisted and private seminaries in the state.
State Survey Exposes Infrastructure Gaps and Compliance Lapses
According to officials from the Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department, the field-level audit was commissioned to create an exhaustive database of authorized versus unauthorized seminaries.
Key directives and ministerial statements emerging from the exercise include:
- Conditional Operations: Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Minister Kshudiram Tudu clarified that fully compliant seminaries holding valid government authorization will remain operational without disruption.
- Review of Responses: The 100 institutions served with show-cause notices face potential closure or administrative takeover depending on the findings of a official panel tasked with examining their responses.
- Security & Regulatory Oversight: State Panchayati Raj Minister Dilip Ghosh highlighted security concerns, alleging that past investigations revealed instances of individuals linked to radical activities operating within unregistered seminaries. “Madrassas being run in accordance with the law and with government permission will continue to function. But the government will not allow madrassas to be opened indiscriminately and cause trouble,” Ghosh asserted.
Political Friction Over Statewide Audit
The enforcement drive has drawn immediate political pushback. Opposition Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Kunal Ghosh cautioned against broad generalizations, emphasizing that administrative non-compliance in select institutions should not be used to broad-brush or marginalize the state’s entire religious education network.
State education officials confirmed that further regulatory guidelines regarding minimum infrastructure standards and mandatory registration protocols will be issued shortly.
