Action against 5 more madrasas in Uttarakhand as new education regime takes shape; tally reaches 20

Five additional madrasas in Uttarakhand have been sealed or closed down, bringing the total number of unrecognised institutions taken off the streets to 20 since the state's new education regime began. The latest crackdown, announced by the government on Saturday, takes place in the cities of Dehradun and Haldwani. Minority Affairs Secretary Dr Parag Madhukar Dhakate stated that the government's actions against madrasas not meeting recognition requirements will continue.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami emphasized that no educational institution can operate without adhering to the prescribed rules and recognition requirements. In Dehradun, three madrasas were targeted: Jamia-tus-Salam Al-Islamia in Azad Colony was sealed, while Dar-e-Arqam in Azad Colony and Darul Uloom Rahimia in Majra submitted written confirmations of ceasing operations.

In Haldwani, two more madrasas—Jamia Nooria Barkate Amina on Shani Bazaar Road and an unrecognised institution in Indira Nagar, Banbhoolpura—were sealed due to the absence of required recognition documents, as per Haldwani City Magistrate A B Vajpayee. This action follows the abolition of Uttarakhand's Madrasa Board in July, which was replaced by the Uttarakhand State Authority for Minority Education (USAME).

The new framework, outlined in the Minority Education Act, 2025, and Uttarakhand Minority Educational Institutions Recognition Rules, 2026, aims to regulate minority educational institutions across six notified communities. Before the change, Uttarakhand had 452 registered madrasas. The government's crackdown on unrecognised madrasas continues a year after the state implemented the Uniform Civil Code.