Will stop grants to madrasas preaching to non-Muslims: Madhya Pradesh CM

Government grants for madrasas which impart religious education to students of other faiths and force them to attend worship practices contrary to their religious teachings will be stopped and legal action taken, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav said on Tuesday, 20 August.

Yadav issued this warning during a meeting of cabinet ministers.

The school education department has issued instructions enforcing a ban on religious teaching to students of faiths other than those prescribed by their respective religions, in compliance with Article 28(3) of the Constitution, per an official release quoting Yadav.

The chief minister said that government grants to madrasas that force students to study or participate in religious practices contrary to their own beliefs will be halted. Additionally, such institutions may face legal action, including potential cancellation of their recognition.

An order to this effect was released by the school education department last Friday, 16 August.

The state government also recently directed officials to verify the credentials of students enrolled in madrasas that receive government grants and ensure that they are not given religious education without the consent of parents or guardians, an official said on Saturday, 17 August.

The state government on Friday issued an order on the recommendation of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) that cited that some madrasas had fabricated the names of their students.

The order stated that it was brought to the notice of the NCPCR, New Delhi, and newspapers that the names of many non-Muslim children were fraudulently registered at madrasas to obtain government grants.