India’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is stepping in to investigate serious claims of an illegal conversion racket targeting Hindu children in Madhya Pradesh. The complaint points to a network enrolling 556 kids in 27 unauthorized madrasas across districts like Morena, Islampura, Zaura, Poursa, Ambah, Kailaras, and Sambalgarh. The goal? To convert them to Islam by teaching them the Quran and Hadees without any government approval.
The NHRC received the complaint on September 26 and quickly took notice. They sent a letter to the Principal Secretary of Madhya Pradesh’s School Education Department, asking for a full inquiry into these allegations. The commission wants an action taken report within 15 days, plus a copy emailed directly to them.
Complainants say these madrasas break several laws. They violate the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2015, which protects minors. Article 28(3) of the Indian Constitution bans religious instruction in state-funded schools for kids of other faiths. And a fresh Madhya Pradesh government order from August 16, 2024, stops non-Muslim children from joining Islamic madrasas. On top of that, the group suspects illegal foreign funding and ties to anti-national elements. Despite reports surfacing a year ago, no real action has happened yet.
The complaint urges the NHRC to push for an FIR, rescue the children, crack down on madrasa operators, and launch a high-level probe with multiple agencies to shut down this network. NHRC’s bench, led by Priyank Kanoongo, sees this as a clear human rights issue for the kids involved.
In their statement, the NHRC highlighted India’s Article 21-A, which makes it the state’s job to get all children into proper schools. But madrasas don’t count as schools and fall outside the Right to Education Act. So, how these Hindu children ended up there raises big red flags.
This case spotlights ongoing concerns about unauthorized madrasas in Madhya Pradesh and child rights protections. The education department now has just 15 days to respond and get to the bottom of it.
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