Uttarakhand investigates funding of illegal madrassas

The Uttarakhand government has instructed district magistrates to investigate the funding of illegal madrassas. This follows the recent sealing of over 100 seminaries across the state. Officials will look into where these madrassas get their money and how they use it. The government aims to determine if any funds are being sent through unofficial channels, known as hawala. The district magistrates are required to report their findings directly to the Chief Minister's office. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami emphasized the seriousness of operating illegal madrassas. He stated that actions against these institutions would continue. So far, 136 illegal madrassas have been shut down since the crackdown began last month. Most of the sealed madrassas were located in Udham Singh Nagar, with 64 closures there. Dehradun followed with 44 closures, while Haridwar had 26 and Pauri had 2. Official records indicate that more than 500 madrassas in the state do not have proper affiliation with the Madrassa Board. In contrast, there are 450 registered madrassas that provide necessary documents like bank details and expense reports. The number of unregistered madrassas is increasing, especially in districts near Uttar Pradesh. Areas such as Jaspur, Bajpur, Kiccha, Kashipur, Rudrapur, and Gadarpur have seen a rise in these institutions.