The crackdown against Madrasas in BJP-ruling Assam by the state government continues to take place as another private Islamic seminary was demolished on Wednesday.
The government said it was demolished over its alleged links to terror outfits Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Bangladesh-based Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).
Nearly 200 students of the Madrasa were sent back to their homes or relocated to other nearby institutions.
A notice regarding the demolition was issued only on Tuesday, a day before the demolition.
This was the third private Madrasa to be razed this month.
On Monday, authorities in Barpeta district demolished a private madrasa and another institution was razed earlier this month in Morigaon district.
Hafizur Rahman, the teacher of the Madrasa was arrested on 26 August.
“We started the process of demolishing the madrasa located at Kabaitari on Wednesday morning following recovery of incriminating documents with links to jihadi groups during a raid carried out on Tuesday,” Swapnaneel Deka, superintendent of police Bongaigaon, said to reporters.
“The madrasa was built on private land, but it was constructed without following necessary provisions and permits. Hence, it was demolished under provisions of the Disaster Management Act,” said Deka.
Earlier this month, Assam chief minister and controversial Hindutva politician Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state has become a hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism and five modules with links to Al Qaida-affiliated outfits in Bangladesh were busted since March.
“Interestingly, the hub of all these activities, as of now, appears to be ‘madrasas’. I am not generalising, but whoever has been arrested till date have had some connection with ‘madrasas’ or were acting as preachers in some mosque,” Sarma had said.
