Bhubaneswar/Kendrapara, Dec. 17: The state government has decided to monitor activities of all madarsas operating in the state.
"We have directed all district education officers to monitor the activities of all madarsas and verify whether they have the requisite documents," said minister of school and mass education minister Debi Prasad Mishra.
Mishra has also ordered an inquiry into the madarsa near Tangi which the accused, Mohammad Abdul Rahman Katki, used to run. "If we come across anything suspicious or foul, the registration of the madarsa will be cancelled," he said.
Odisha State Board for Madarsa Education manage the 167 registered madarsas in the state. Odia, English, science, mathematics and history, besides theological studies, are taught at these instructions. The state Madarsa Board conducts Wastania (Class VII), Moulvi (Class X), Mahir (Plus Two), Alim (Plus Three), Fazil-2 Hadith (PG in theology) and Fazil-e-Urdu (PG in Urdu) examinations.
While the madarsa at Binjharpur offers MA-level (Fazil) education, Madarsa Sultania at Buxi Bazar, Cuttack, offers BA (Alim). The madarsa at Dhamnagar offers Plus Two-level (Mahir) education while the two others at Balasore and Kendrapara offer up to the matric (Maulvi) level.
There are 13 other madarsas offering education up to Class VII and the rest are from Class I-V. There are more than 9,000 students studying in madarsas. "The board has its own prescribed syllabus for the madarsas. Our officials visit the madarsas from time to time for monitoring," said the madarsa board vice-president Snehamayee Senapati, adding that the Rahman incident had shocked the board members.
AQIS operative Rahman had his early education in Kendrapara and had spent five or six years as a student at the residential Jamia Ashrafful Ullam Madarsa here in the Goudgop locality of the township. He completed his education in the late nineties and left.
Police have found that Rahman was an alumnus of the school, said Kendrapara additional superintendent of police Ramesh Chandra Mohanty, adding that the records of all madarsas were being verified.
Mohammad Farooq Qasim, principal of Jamia Ashrafful Ullam Madarsa, said: "We are shocked to learn that Rahman was involved in anti-national activities. He has brought disrepute to our institution. We deeply condemn the act. Rahman should be meted out the harshest punishment. He was good at studies during the school days."
Hibzur Rehman, a councillor of the local urban body, said: "The Ullam Madarsa is a prominent Islamic school in the state. Though Rahman studied here, the school has nothing to do with his terror link."
Kids rescued
Children were being "illegally confined" at a madarsa run by 37-year-old Rahman, an inquiry has revealed.
A formal inquiry was initiated by the Child Welfare Committee, district education officer and officials of Childline today to ascertain whether the madarsa had the necessary approvals.
The teachers at the madarsa could not produce any valid document to the members of the team today.
District administration officials said most of the children were staying in inhuman conditions at the madarsa at Teruan village in Tangi police station limits.
"Around 13 children were suffering from chickenpox while 15 others had severe skin diseases because of the unhygienic conditions," said district child protection officer Pragati Mohanty, adding that two students from Pipili and Khurda had already been handed over to their guardians.
"We are now concerned about the safety and rehabilitation of the children who mostly belong to Jharkhand. As the documents containing information about the children have been seized by the police, we are trying to collect the contact numbers and addresses of their parents," said Bikash Mohapatra, a Child Welfare Committee official.
