– Mohammed Atherulla Shariff
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has issued a circular once again to conduct a survey of Madrasas in the state.
First, on August 24, 2022 the BJP government headed by Basavaraj Bommai had directed the education department to submit a report on activities in all 960 madrasas in the state. To conduct the survey, a committee headed by the education department’s commissioner had also been formed. But the order remained a non-starter.
Now on October 21 this year, the Siddaramiah-led Congress government issued directions to police officials to collect details about the functioning of Madrasas in the state, confidentially. All the district superintendents of police directed local stations to collect information about madrasas functioning in their jurisdictions. Details pertaining to the management committees, staff, students, recognised or not etc. were sought.
But the circular is understood to have been withdrawn on November 8. The bye-elections in three Assembly constituencies on November 13 is referred to as the probable reason behind withdrawal of the orders.
What remains a mystery is that the BJP government had assigned the job to education department since Madrasas are educational institutions, but the Congress government directed the police department for the same job.
Madrasa committees have expressed shock that when they are prepared to share what ever information the government needed, still deployment of police officials to conduct the survey is a sort of harassment.
What turn the events will take after the bye-elections remains to be seen.
