Keeping non-Muslim kids in madrasas is violation of Fundamental Rights: NCPCR chief

New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) The Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), Priyank Kanoongo, has expressed concern about children's rights, particularly of non-Muslim children in madrasas.

In a post on X, Priyank Kanoongo said, “Madrasas are centres for imparting Islamic religious education and are outside the boundaries of the Right to Education Act. In such a situation, keeping Hindu and other non-Muslim children in madrasas is not only a violation of their Fundamental, Constitutional Rights but can also become a reason for spreading religious animosity in society. Therefore, @NCPCR_ has urged all state governments to admit Hindu children studying in Madrasas to schools so that they can get the right to basic education as per the Constitution and also make arrangements to provide Muslim children religious knowledge along with the right to education.”

“In this regard, the Chief Secretary of the State Government of Uttar Pradesh had issued an order in accordance with the recommendation of the Commission,” he added.

Further, Priyank Kanoongo said in his post on X, “It has been learnt through newspapers that an Islamic organisation called Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind is spreading rumours about this order issued by the Chief Secretary and misleading people.

“They are also working to incite the sentiments of the general public against the government. This is an organisation of Islamic clerics, a branch of Madrasa Darul Uloom Deoband, against which the Commission has taken action for supporting Ghazwa-e-Hind.”

He also mentioned, “It is noteworthy that last year, communal harmony was harmed due to the incident of changing the identity of a missing Hindu child and conversion by circumcision in a madrasa running in a village adjacent to Deoband in Uttar Pradesh. This action is also necessary to prevent such incidents.”

He also mentioned the Religious Freedom Act in his post, which is in force in Uttar Pradesh, and said no one should violate the religious freedom of children.

“I request the public with folded hands that this is a matter of children's rights; do not get misled by any fundamentalist fanatic and participate in building a better future for children,” he said.

“A separate request is being made to the government for action against those spreading rumours,” he added in his post.

Along with this post, Priyank Kanoongo shared an image of an article published on October 19, 2023, in a newspaper which says, “Saharanpur connection of the incident of kidnapping and conversion of a Hindu child came to light, here’s the whole matter.”

The article is about a child whose missing report was filed in 2008 in Chandigarh and who was later found in a madrasa in Muzaffarnagar, as described in the posted image.