Bengal’s madrasas under scanner
and beyond the government’s purview. Officials say the khareji madrasas have mushroomed in recent times and Basirhat and adjoining areas have no less than about 600 of them. Run by Muslim organisations and funded privately, they impart religious studies and lessons in Arabic.
Studying in such madrasas does not improve one’s chances of a job. Students can hope to teach in similar places or may aim to be employed as clerics. Yet, they are a big hit among the poorer sections since fees is as low as ₹500 with free meals and boarding.
Khareji madrasas also came under police scrutiny after one of them was used for imparting arms training to alleged perpetrators of the 2014 blast in Burdwan district that left two people dead. A probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) led to the unearthing of a flourishing ‘jihadi’ network.
Calls for renewed scrutiny have once again grown, following the Basirhat violence. “We have been long demanding modernisation of madrssa education system. These madrasas are vulnerable to fundamentalist and jihadi infiltration,” said Biplab Pal, a spokesperson of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. While some are demanding modernisation, others want them closed down. “These unregulated madrasas should be closed. Many that operate near the India-Bang-
ladesh border are used as centres of jihadi indoctrination,” alleged Sachin Sinha, Kolkata secretary of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
In 2002, then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had voiced similar concerns. But critics say administrations have been reluctant to order a crackdown as it may be seen as an affront to Muslims who account for 27% of the state’s population.
But not everyone agrees that they are rotten. “They provide basic education to Muslim children from poor families. The students get education in religion and are able to pursue religious career,” insisted Jamat e Ulema e Hind leader-turned-ruling TMC minister Siddiqulah Chowdhury.