Imphal, June 7: The only Muslim girls’ hostel in Manipur is embroiled in a controversy with a student union alleging “serious” irregularities in the functioning of the hostel.

The only Muslim girl students’ body in Manipur, All Manipur Muslim Girls’ Students Union, alleged that there were irregularities in the functioning and recruitment of the staff of the hostel at Minuthong Hatta inaugurated by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on December 12, 2010.

The union alleged that it found irregularities in the functioning and recruitment of the staff by the Manipur Wakf Board, which is responsible for running the hostel.

“We found only four students when we visited the hostel for inspection. The warden does not stay at the hostel. She lives in her home in Imphal East. The students are staying without any supervision. We found only one official at the hostel,” the Muslim girls’ student body president, Rukshar Choudhury, said today.

Though Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the hostel nearly two years back, it was opened to Muslim girl students only recently.

A team of the students’ body and All Manipur Muslim Women Development Association inspected the condition of the hostel a few days back.

She charged that the Wakf Board chairman and former Congress MLA Allauddin Khan appointed his relatives as staff, including the warden. Khan, however, was not available for comment.

The only hostel for Muslim girl students in Manipur was constructed at Rs 2.14 crore under the Centre’s Special Plan Assistance.

“The hostel was constructed to help poor students from far-off places to get better education in the city. It should be run properly,” Choudhury said.

Literacy rate of Muslims, with a population of nearly 2 lakh, is very low. There are efforts by the community leaders and parents to increase the literacy rate and it is paying dividends.

Md Ismat, a boy belonging to the community, secured the first position in this year’s CBSE Class XII examination.

The boy hails from Lilong in Thoubal district.

To encourage meritorious students, the Manipuri Muslims Online Forum members spread across the globe, felicitated meritorious students of the community in the high school and higher secondary examinations and MBBS/BDS entrance examination conducted by the Manipur government.

“We are not against anyone nor in favour of anyone. What we want is to make the hostel a good place for the students, who could perform outstandingly in their respective examinations,” All Manipur Muslim Women Development Association president Sitara Begum said.

The groups urged chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, who is in-charge of minority and backward classes department, to look into the matter.