West Bengal issues closure notices to 252 unaided madrasas, show-cause to 100 more

The West Bengal government has issued closure notices to 252 unaided and unrecognised madrasas, commonly known as Khariji madrasas. Another 100 similar institutions have been served show-cause notices and may face closure if they fail to explain the irregularities pointed out by the administration.

Announcing the first phase of the action, Minister for Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Kshudiram Tudu said the decisions followed a survey conducted by the district administration across 22 districts and Kolkata. “A survey was conducted through district administration across 22 districts and in Kolkata. Details of teachers, students, infrastructure and funds available were inspected by a special team on the basis of which 252 madrasahs have been closed in the first phase,” Mr. Tudu said.

Of the institutions that received closure notices, 44 are in Malda, 37 in Uttar Dinajpur, 32 in South 24 Parganas, and 25 each in Nadia and Murshidabad.

Khariji madrasas are independent Islamic educational institutions that operate without government funding, formal recognition or official regulatory control. West Bengal has more than 2,000 such institutions. Alongside them, hundreds of State-aided and recognised madrasas function under the West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education.

Madrasah education in Bengal has a history of almost 250 years, dating to the founding of the Calcutta Madrasah in 1780 by the British East India Company.

Soon after coming to power, the State government ordered a survey of Khariji madrasas. Earlier this month, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said West Bengal would follow a “One State, One Education” policy, and that Aliah University, until now under the Madrasah Education Ministry, had been brought under the Higher Education Ministry.

The move has been welcomed by leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The president of the party’s State unit, Samik Bhattacharya, said former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had once pointed out that extremist elements were being promoted through madrasas, but later had to retract the remark under pressure from the Left Front. Mr. Bhattacharya added that a State cannot have two forms of education.

“India is a secular country. In this country, there is no discrimination among people based on religion. Therefore, it is extremely essential to ensure equal opportunities, equal rights, and a uniform standard of the education system for every child in the country,” the BJP leader said on social media.

Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh rejected the BJP leaders’ claim that extremists are found in madrasas and said the exercise is targeting an existing education system. Mr. Ghosh, a Mamata Banerjee loyalist, noted that there is also a tradition of imparting education through Sanskrit tols, and said the characterisation of madrasa education by BJP leaders is not correct.

Under Article 30 of the Constitution, religious and linguistic minorities have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice, and Article 21A makes elementary education a fundamental right for children aged six to fourteen. State governments frame rules for recognised institutions — covering registration, curricula and teacher qualifications — while unaided and unrecognised institutions operate outside that framework, which is the basis on which the West Bengal survey was ordered.

The statements reported so far do not set out how students enrolled in the affected institutions will be accommodated, or what arrangements are planned for teachers who may lose their positions. The government has not yet announced a transition or transfer plan for the children studying in these madrasas.