After UP, MP govt tells madrasas to hold Tiranga rally

The Madhya Pradesh Madarsa Board has ordered over 5000 madrasas or Islamic seminaries in the state to compulsorily organise a Tiranga (Tricolor) rally to celebrate Independence Day and email it the photographs of the celebrations.

This is for the first time that state that the Board has issued an order asking the managements of the madrasas to take out a Tiranga rally.

Syed Imad Uddin, chairman Madhya Pradesh Madarsa Board told HT that madrsas have been sending photographs of the flag hoisting and other events to mark Independence Day over the years across the state.

"There are around 5000 madarsas in the state. They have been celebrating Republic Day and Independence Day with much gusto over the years. And they keep sending us the photographs of these celebrations. This has been the case over the years. There is no videography that is carried out of these celebrations," he said

Syed Imad ,however, said that madarsas have been hold Tiranga yantras this year. "The Tiranga Yatra will be part of the Independence Day celebrations this year. It will be for the first time that such yatras will be held in the madarsas of the state," he said.

He said that the order had nothing to do with a similar diktat of the Yogi Adityanath’s government in Uttar Pradesh to madrassas in the state to videograph the I-Day celebrations. "Some sections of media has reported that we have asked to videograph the celebrations. Nothing like that is happening here," he insisted.

The order of the MP Madarsa Board directs all the madrasa managements to hoist national flag, organise a cultural programme and take out a Tiranga rally in their respective areas on August 15.

The UP government’s decision has been criticised for “raising doubts on the integrity of those running madrasas and its students”.