Overview
- A district inspection in Pahalwara, Payagpur, found 40 girls aged roughly 9 to 14 hiding in a locked terrace toilet, with officials describing them as visibly frightened.
- The institution, identified by officials as unregistered and operating without documentation, has been closed and the girls were sent back to their families.
- Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ashwini Kumar Pandey led the team after repeated complaints, reporting that staff initially tried to block access to upper floors.
- The madrassa operator was reported to have fled during the inspection, while a teacher said the girls locked themselves in out of panic during the commotion.
- Reports have been sent to the district magistrate for further inquiry, the Minority Welfare Office is verifying records, and police say no FIR has been filed pending a formal complaint; officials note earlier surveys found hundreds of unrecognised madrassas in the district.