Radical cleric Abdul Rehman’s involvement with madrasas in Jagatsinghpur district has created a flutter here.
There are over 100 madrasas, including 12 affiliated to the State Government, functioning in Jagatsinghpur district, but people doubt the private madrasas run by a few affluent minority community people may be linked with Rehman. His frequent trips to Jagatsinghpur madrasas are now under scanner.
Moreover, unconfirmed sources revealed that Rehman had visited Jagatsinghpur several times for delivering religious lecture held in several localities where madrasas and minority inhabitations exist and had drawn his community people’s attention and sympathy.
Ironically, police and district intelligence agency have had no knowledge about Rehman’s trips to Jagatsinghpur district and were in dark about his activities.
Meanwhile, District Education Officer (DEO) KC Nayak informed that about 12 madrasas affiliated to the School and Mass Education Department which are functioning in several parts of the district.
Madrasas working in Jagatsinghpur district include Islamia Dania Ullam in Mohiuddinpur, Madrasa Kurania Talbarar Krishnanandapur, Madrasa Pharkunia, Madrasa Maqubal, Madrasa Kadaria, Madrasa Kadria in Chaonpur in Balikuda, Madrasa Islamia in Nuadihi, Faijur Rasul in Taradapada and Jamia Islamia.
These madrasas are Government affiliated and minority students are imparted primary education from Class I to V there, DEO Nayak informed. He expressed his inability to state exactly about the private madrasas functioning in the district.
The Government has sought details on the activities of madrasas running in the district two days ago. We have started an inquiry, he added.
Sources added that many private madrasas have been functioning in several parts of the district, like Mulisingh, Biritola, Tirana, Narua, Dhanipur, Santihada, Piteipur, Denga, Tarikunda and Dasbatia in Jagatsinghpur and Raghunathpur blocks. A few are also run in coastal regions of Erasama, Balikuda and Kujanga blocks where minority people are predominantly living.
Reports said that over 30 to 100 students aged between 10 to 15 years are studying in the madrasas. But the important point is very few of them are local students while the majority of students are from Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Chhatisgarh. Moreover, the teachers as Muslim clerics, Maulana and Kazi serving at the madrasas are mostly from the neighbouring States. Proper academic schedule and systematic teaching are not imparted. Most of unrecognized private madrasas keep children in unhygienic condition and without proper feeding, investigations reveal.
“We have no concrete information on Rehman’s link with Jagatsinghpur madrasas and his trip to Jagatsinghpur. We have asked DIB and police intelligence to study the activities of the madrasas across the district, while security has been beefed up at various vulnerable Muslim dominated areas where madrasas are functioning,” informed Superintendent of Police Sudha Singh.