80 madrasas in Uttar Pradesh received foreign funding totaling Rs 100 crore, according to a SIT investigation

According to an ongoing investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was established by the state government in October of this year, a total of 80 madrasas in Uttar Pradesh received almost Rs 100 crore in money from outside during the previous three years.

As per a senior official participating in the investigation, the funds were often sent straight into the bank accounts of the societies and non-governmental organizations that oversee these madrasas. The Additional Director General rank officer is in charge of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was established to look into the madrasas’ foreign financing sources. It also includes the Superintendent of Police, Cyber Cell, and the Director of the Minority Welfare Department.

The UP Board of Madrasa Education recognizes around 16,500 of the over 25,000 madrasas in Uttar Pradesh. The SIT obtained information on the financial accounts of the people, organizations, and groups in charge of the madrasas in the state while conducting its inquiry.

We found that 80 madrasas had had foreign money put into their bank accounts. Across the state, at places like Bahraich, Siddharth Nagar, Saharanpur, Azamgarh, and Rampur, are these madrasas. The senior official said that funds were sent to bank accounts from different parts of the globe, particularly the Middle East, London, and Dubai. He also mentioned that investigations into the financing sources of other madrasas were underway.

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The SIT is collecting data on the 80 madrasas that have been identified, as well as the organizations and people who made the bank account deposits. Determining whether or if the monies were intended for social objectives is another goal of the investigators.

“We are going to ask the madrasa caretakers for details on the individuals who provided the money. We will, if needed, use the aid of central agencies like R&AW and IB to get information. An officer said, “A report will be sent to central agencies for cooperation.”

Additionally, the SIT has decided to ask these madrasas for information about how they used the foreign cash. The officer said, “They will be required to present bills and other documentation to demonstrate how they used the funds.”

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The SIT’s chief, Mohit Agarwal, told The Indian Express that the inquiry is still ongoing when he was reached. The SIT was established months after the state government gave District Magistrates in Nepali border regions instructions in January of this year to look into the financing sources of unrecognized madrasas that claimed donations and zakat (charity money) as their main sources of income.

At the time, Haj Dharmpal Singh, Minister for Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf, and numerous madrasas in districts near the Nepal border indicated that their main sources of funding were zakat and contributions. Survey teams discovered, however, that the residents of these places were too impoverished to provide zakat or gifts. Following the identification of these madrasas, directives were sent out to reexamine their financing sources.

Additionally, Singh had said that these madrasas were withholding the identity of their patrons, implying that the money may originate from outside.

8,449 madrasas that are not recognized by the Madrasa Board were found in a state government study conducted last year. Moradabad district was home to the majority of them.