At least 170 madrasas have been sealed across Uttarakhand in recent days, with state officials citing a lack of registration with the Madrasa Board or the education department as the reason.
In Haldwani’s Muslim-majority Banbhulpura area, a joint team comprising officials from the district administration, municipal corporation, and local police conducted a special inspection on Sunday, April 13. During the drive, seven madrasas were sealed for allegedly operating without valid registration.
According to a press release from chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s office, the crackdown was based on findings from detailed surveys conducted by special government-appointed teams.
Chief Minister Dhami defended the move, stating that institutions “leading children toward radicalism” in the name of education would not be tolerated under any circumstances. He described the sealing of madrasas as “a historic step.”
Officials have hinted that this may just be the beginning, with nearly 500 madrasas currently under scrutiny and facing possible closure. Many of those sealed have been operational for decades, raising concerns within affected communities.
In response, civil rights activists and Muslim clerics have urged the state to ensure a fair and evidence-based review of the closures. They caution that sweeping actions without transparency could foster mistrust and further marginalize vulnerable communities already feeling targeted.
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