Overview

• The Uttar Pradesh government has escalated its campaign to remove illegal madrasas, mosques, and other unauthorized religious structures in seven districts bordering Nepal.
• Joint revenue and police teams have sealed 41 unregistered madrasas in Shravasti and demolished 89 illegal structures in Bahraich, with hundreds of encroachment cases filed across the region.
• The crackdown follows the Waqf Act-2024 and addresses demographic shifts and security concerns highlighted by intelligence reports and police findings from 2020 and 2022.
• Recognized madrasas, numbering approximately 16,500 in the state, are not being targeted, as confirmed by the state minority affairs minister.
• The campaign reflects inter-agency coordination and government efforts to reclaim public land and curb infiltration in districts like Siddharthnagar, Pilibhit, and Balrampur.