The West Bengal government has issued a notice to close down 252 unaided and unrecognized madrasas

File image to represent | Photo credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

The West Bengal government has issued a notice to close down 252 unaided and unrecognized madrasas. Another hundred similar madrassas have received show-cause notices and may face closure if they do not explain the irregularities and respond to queries.

“The survey was conducted through the district administration in 22 districts and Kolkata. The details of teachers, students, infrastructure and available funds were verified by a special team on the basis of which 252 madrasas were closed in the first phase,” said Kshudiram Tudu, Minister for Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education.

Unrecognized unaided madrasas are commonly called Khariji madrasas; they are independent Islamic educational institutions that operate without government funding, formal recognition or official regulatory control. Of the madrassas that have received closure notices, 44 of them are located in Malda, 37 in Uttar Dinajpur, 32 in South 24 Parganas and 25 each in Nadia and Murshidabad.

Soon after coming to power, the Suvendu Adhikari government ordered a survey of Khariji madrasas. There are more than 2,000 such madrasas in the state. There are hundreds of state-aided and recognized madrasas in the state, which are managed by the West Bengal Madrasah Education Authority. The Madrasah system of education in Bengal has a history of nearly 250 years and grew and flourished with the establishment of the Madrasah in Calcutta in 1780 by the British East India Company.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had earlier this month said that the “One State, One Education” policy will be in force in West Bengal. Mr. Adhikari said that Aliah University which was under the Madrasah Education Ministry has been transferred under the Higher Education Ministry.

Several Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, including the party’s state unit president Samik Bhattacharya, welcomed the West Bengal government’s move. Mr. Bhattacharya said former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee pointed out that extremist elements were propagated through madrassas but later had to withdraw under pressure from the Left Front.

The BJP state president also added that there cannot be two forms of education in the state.

“India is a secular country. There is no discrimination between people on the basis of religion in this country. Therefore, it is extremely important to ensure equal opportunities, equal rights and a uniform standard of education system for every child in the country,” the BJP leader wrote on the social network.

Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh said that the BJP leaders’ claim that extremists are in madrassas and targeting the existing education system is not correct. Loyalist MLA Mamata Banerjee said there is a tradition of providing education through ‘Sanskrit Tols’ as well.

Published – 14 Sep 2026 10:56 IST