In controversial remarks, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Friday said most minority and Left-dominated institutions are laboratories for “anti-national activities” and require strict monitoring.
His comments come in the wake of the November 10 Red Fort blast where the accused were found to be associated with Al-Falah University in Haryana as well as with some madrassas in Uttar Pradesh.
In a social media post, the minister claimed regular monitoring of the network, financial transactions, and accounts of such institutions nationwide is necessary. Only through this can terrorism and anti-national activities be curbed.
It is noteworthy that following the arrest of Dr Parvez and Dr Shaheen from Uttar Pradesh in the Delhi bomb blast case, the Anti-Terrorist Squad (UP ATS) has taken strict action against madrassas.
The ATS headquarters in Lucknow has sent a letter to the district minority welfare officers of Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Banda, Hamirpur, Chitrakoot, and Mahoba. This letter requests complete details of the students studying in each madrasa, the teaching clerics, and the administrators.
The letter asks for all the information, including each individual’s name, father’s name, date of birth, complete address, and mobile number, to be submitted as soon as possible. A senior ATS official stated that intelligence inputs had been received, raising concerns about suspicious activities in some madrasas, and this exercise is being undertaken in light of national security.
He clarified that most madrasas are performing well and this is merely a verification exercise, but any negligence will not be tolerated.