On 26th December, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) paid a visit to a Madarsa in Punjab’s Chandigarh and discovered that children there are being frequently beaten. The Madarsa visited by NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo is Madrasa Arabia Faizul Islam in Chandigarh.
Kanoongo shared the video of the visit in which he could be seen inspecting the premises. He talked to the children residing in the Madarsa who revealed to him that 3 Hindu children also visit the Madarsa daily and are made to read Quran and Qaida. More than a dozen children residing in the Madarsa also revealed that around 300 children come to the Madarsa daily to learn Islamic books.
According to the NCPCR, minors who reside in the Madarsa, are also beaten by the authorities, marks of which could be seen on their fingers in the video shared by Kanoongo. “More than a dozen children living in the Madrasa are residents of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal. Children are beaten in Madrasa, all have marks of beating on their fingers. Children are being groomed and brainwashed in such a way that instead of becoming doctors or engineers, they want to become muftis,” he said.
Kanoongo, the chairperson of NCPCR also sought details about the education provided to the children at Madarsa but no details could be obtained. “some basic education is also given during the day, but the administration officials could not give any information about school-related recognition, affiliation, and government permission,” he added.
As per the NCPCR inspection, the children at the Madarsa are groomed to become Muftis and very few are interested in becoming doctors, engineers, or scientists. It could be seen in the video that one or two among a dozen raised their hands when asked who wanted to become doctors or engineers, but all of them raised their hands and affirmed when asked whether they wanted to become Muftis.
A mufti is an Islamic scholar who can legally rule on Islamic religious and personal matters. They are also authorized to make legal decisions or help judges in Islamic countries. Muftis are responsible for issuing a legal ruling or edict known as a fatwa. These rulings are non-binding and act as religious advice.
The school is believed to be located in an urban locality and has no library or computer-aided learning lab. The school provides only basic education to children from class 1 to 8. It was established in the year 1991 and is believed to have attained no government permission to run a school. “The administration officials could not give any information about school-related recognition, affiliation, and government permission,” Kanoongo affirmed.
The NCPCR visited the Madarsa on 26th December and sought relevant answers from the authority.