By Arun Pratap Singh
Haldwani, 14 Apr: Today was a national holiday on the occasion of BR Ambedkar Jayanti but the sealing operation against illegal madrasas in Uttarakhand continued today with firm resolve. In the sensitive locality of Banbhulpura, Haldwani, the Nainital district administration, in the presence of heavy security forces, sealed four more unregistered madrasas. With this, all 18 identified illegal madrasas in Haldwani stand sealed so far. Sources however claim that some more illegal madrasas still remain functional in Haldwani in general and in Banbhupura in particular.
SDM Vivek Rai stated that following the directives of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the district administration and police authorities jointly have taken action against unregistered madrasas operating unlawfully in Haldwani. On the second day of the operation, four more madrasas were sealed today.
Rai added that over two days of intensive crackdown, 17 madrasas were sealed, and one was acquired. So far, action has been taken against 21 madrasas in the Nainital district. It may be recalled that the police and administrative authorities initiated their campaign against unregistered madrasas in Banbhulpura yesterday which was also a holiday being Sunday, where 18 such institutions were found operating without legal registration. Among these, 13 were sealed yesterday itself. Although tensions rose in the region, the presence of a substantial police force ensured no disruptions or protests. The campaign remains ongoing.
ADM Vivek Roy shared that that as per instructions received, a comprehensive survey was conducted by teams from the district administration, police, and other relevant departments. It was discovered that 18 madrasas in Haldwani were operating illegally without registration or recognition, violating regulatory norms. Over the course of two days, sealing orders were executed on all identified madrasas. Furthermore, three madrasas in Kaladhungi were also sealed for operating unlawfully.
Senior officials overseeing the operation included SP City Prakash Chandra, City Magistrate AP Bajpai, Municipal Commissioner Richa Singh, Deputy District Magistrate Paritosh Verma, Rekha Kohli, Police Circle Officer Nitin Lohani, Tehsildar Manisha Bisht, Kuldeep Pandey, District Social Welfare Officer Vishwanath, and several police station heads.
It may also be reminded here that, so far, a total of 177 illegal madrasas have been sealed across Uttarakhand, as authorities claim to be continuing their drive against unlawful institutions in the state.
