Bengal govt shuts down 252 madrasas, sends show-cause notices to 100
Times of India | 14 September 2026“The 252 madrasas that have been served closure notices are devoid of minimum infrastructure. The 100-odd that have been issued show-cause notices will have to respond and and if their replies are found to be unsatisfactory, we will take action against them too. We want students studying in madrasas to pursue modern, mainstream education and shine in life just like students from other schools,” said Kshudiram Tudu, minister-in-charge of the department.
Malda leads the list of closures with around 44-45 madrasas while North Dinajpur is second with around 37, followed by 32-odd in South 24 Parganas. Murshidabad and Nadia also figure on the higher side with around 25 madrasas in each district being served closure notices.
The punitive action followed a comprehensive field verification exercise through the district administration for all madrasas functioning in the state, with particular focus on Khariji madrasas, with a view to identifying institutions functioning without lawful authority and ensuring compliance with applicable regulatory framework.
The magistrates of all 22 districts and the Kolkata area submitted reports on madrasas functioning within their respective jurisdictions. Detailed information relating to registration status, management, student enrolment and identity, teaching staff, infrastructure and sources of funding were collected and scrutinised.
The DMs reported that about 2,132 madrasas were functioning with proper registration/affiliation etc, while 2,396 were functioning without the required registration/affiliation from any govt or board.
The department deputed dedicated inspection/investigation teams from the state level for re-verification of the reports received to ascertain that correctness of information furnished by the institutions corresponded with the actual position on the ground.
The infrastructural lacunae at the madrasas included non-availability of classroom space, inadequate students or teachers, stark deviation from standard state school syllabus or administrative rules.
According to a senior Nabanna official, state govt found that in a good number of Khariji madrasas, anti-India education was being imparted and innocent students were being brainwashed, that has prompted the survey exercise.
A Khariji madrasa is an independent Islamic school that operates without govt funding, formal recognition or official regulatory control. They do not receive financial assistance from govt and instead rely entirely upon on public donations and charitable trusts.
The department will continue the verification and enforcement exercise and take strict, evidence-based and legally sustainable action against institutions found to be unauthorised or non-compliant.
