Saharanpur: Prominent Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband and 305 other madrasas in UP’s Saharanpur district are unrecognised by the Uttar Pradesh Madarsa Education Board, as per a government survey. Madarsas which are not recognised by the Board do not get benefit of government schemes like scholarship, salary for teachers, among others.
On Saturday, the District Minority Welfare Officer Bharat Lal Gaur told media that a total of 754 madrasas are registered in Saharanpur. The number of unrecognized madrasas in the district is 306, he said, adding the information has been shared with the government as part of its survey on madrasas in the state. He said Darul Uloom Deoband is not recognized by the Madarsa Board.
Gaur said the government had fixed 12 points, on the basis of which the survey of madrasas was done. In a statement, Vice Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani said the institution has never taken any kind of aid or grant from any government.
The seminary is not registered with the Board but it does educational work according to the Indian Constitution, he said. Nomani said the ‘Shura Society’ of the Darul Uloom is registered under the Societies Act and the seminary operates as per the right to freedom of religion under the Constitution.
Darul Uloom Deoband more than 150 years old, but it has never taken any kind of aid or grant from any government, he said. The Islamic institute in Deobad in Saharanpur was established on September 30, 1866.