Madrassas told to abide by rules: Assam DGP

GUWAHATI: With teachers of some madrassas in Assam recently "found to have harboured links with terror outfits", all such institutions in the state have been told to strictly abide by rules set by their parent bodies and local authorities, Director General of Police (DGP) Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta said on Sunday.

Four main organisations or sects running most of the madrassas in the state have been told to survey such religious learning institutions within six months, he stated. Over 3,000 registered and unregistered madrassas are currently operational in this northeastern state, official sources said. These institutions have come under the scanner following the arrest of the teachers, over the past few months, for their suspected links with terror outfits.

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Three madrassas have been demolished in Assam in the last month. Addressing a press conference, after a meeting with Islamic community leaders, Mahanta said, "Radical elements of outfits such as al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent (AQIS) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) want to establish their philosophy here. And it is a matter of concern in the current geo-political scene."

"Fundamentalist forces are trying to influence Muslims in the state, but the community, by and large, have cooperated, with only a miniscule percentage falling prey to the radical doctrines," he maintained. Representatives of All Assam Tanzim Madrassas, Ahle Sunnat Wal Jammat, All Assam Islamic Research Center and Nadwatut Tamir were present at the meeting, besides a few MLAs of the community.

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"Organisations that run the madrassas already have a set of guidelines, and we have proposed another few additional rules. They have been receptive to our suggestions. "But rolling out the guidelines is not enough, these have to be implemented. We have asked the organisations to ensure their implementation," he pointed out. Mahanta said a committee comprising representatives of all four groups have been formed to carry out a survey of these institutes and propose ways to ensure that all guidelines are followed.

"We have also urged them to incorporate general subjects along with the religious teachings in the madrassas for more benefit of the students," the DGP underlined. The top officer said the government would be launching a portal soon in which all madrassas got to upload relevant details, like location, teachers' names and addresses, and salary paid. As many as 36 people with alleged association with terror outfits have been arrested in the state over the last few months, he added.

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Leaders of the Islamic community, talking to reporters later, welcomed the initiative by the Assam Police and said a "new atmosphere" has been created. They said that the meeting was a "first step towards uprooting anti-national elements". Police verification of any person from outside the state or district will be ensured if he is engaged in any madrassas.

The vigil will be maintained on activities of youth who go outside the state for education or work, one of the community leaders, who attended the meeting, added.