32 unregistered madrassas sealed in Uttarakhand crackdown

In Uttarakhand, the district administration has sealed 32 unregistered madrassas in a two-day operation. This crackdown focused on areas like Sitarganj, Kashipur, and Rudrapur. Officials aim to shut down or ensure compliance from all unregistered educational institutions. On Tuesday, authorities closed 10 madrassas in Sitarganj and eight in Kashipur. The operation continued into Wednesday, targeting more madrassas in Rudrapur, Jaspur, and Gadarpur. By Thursday, two madrassas were sealed in Kuraiya village and one each in Kachhi Khamariya and Malsi. SDM Manish Bisht reported that the closures happened because the madrassa operators could not provide valid registration documents. One madrassa, located in Subhash Colony, was not immediately closed after its operator submitted partial documents. The operator now has a week to complete their paperwork. In Jaspur, SDM Chatar Singh Chauhan's team sealed five madrassas and issued notices to 14 more that were operating within religious buildings. A separate team in Gadarpur sealed three madrassas. Bisht mentioned the crackdown will continue until all unregistered madrassas are either closed or meet the required standards. This campaign began on March 12, with earlier actions involving law enforcement and education officials sealing four madrassas in Khatima and notifying five others that were not operational. Over the past two weeks, numerous unauthorized madrassas have been closed across the state's major cities.