Overview
- The state issued closure notices to 252 madrasas and served show-cause notices to about 100 others after a district-level verification that began on Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s orders in June.
- Officials reported 2,132 madrasas with proper registration and about 2,396 functioning without required government approval, with re-verification teams sent to confirm district findings.
- Authorities cited specific shortcomings such as inadequate classroom space, too few teachers or students, and major deviation from the prescribed state syllabus as grounds for the closures.
- Many targeted institutions are Khariji madrasas, independent unaided seminaries that rely on donations and operate outside formal regulation; officials also raised security and 'anti-India' education concerns.
- The move has split political opinion, with BJP leaders backing stricter enforcement and Trinamool figures warning against blanket stigmatization; the state says further steps will depend on institutions’ replies and legally sustainable evidence.