Tension gripped the Muslim community in Uttar Pradesh after authorities sealed the Kuliatul Banatir Razavia Madrasa, a move locals decry as the latest in a series of actions selectively targeting Muslim-run institutions in India.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the madrasa was sealed by a team of officials, including the Sub-Divisional Magistrate and the District Minority Welfare Officer, who claimed it was operating without proper authorization on disputed land.
The institution was run under the guidance of Maulana Shamsul Huda Khan, a British-Indian scholar currently in police custody over allegations of receiving foreign funds. The sealing has sparked fear and anger among Muslims, who see it as a discriminatory act disguised as a legal procedure.
“Every time a Muslim cleric gets foreign help for education or charity, it is treated as a crime,” said Maulana Rashid Qasmi, a scholar based in Lucknow, highlighting what the community perceives as a double standard.
Local residents and rights groups argue that the action is part of a systematic pattern to undermine Muslim education and identity. They contend that the government’s approach is not about enforcing the law but about humiliating and marginalizing the community, destroying a vital source of education and faith for poor girls.
