New Delhi [India], September 30 : Priyank Kanoongo, a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), on Tuesday raised concerns about Hindu children being enrolled in government-funded madrasas in Morena and Shivpuri districts of Madhya Pradesh.
According to Kanoongo, around 500 Hindu children are allegedly being taught the Quran and other Islamic studies, sparking allegations of a conspiracy to convert them to Islam.
"We received complaints about around 500 Hindu children enrolled in government-funded madrasas in Morena and Shivpuri, MP... The complainant alleges a conspiracy to convert Hindu children to Islam by teaching them the Quran and related topics. We sent this complaint to the Madhya Pradesh government for investigation," Kanoongo told ANI.
Kanoongo emphasised that Hindu children should not be enrolled in madrasas, and even Muslim children attending madrasas should also be enrolled in schools for fundamental education.
"Our main concern: Hindu children should not be in madrasas. Even if Muslim children attend madrasas, they should also go to school for their fundamental education... Therefore, it is essential to clearly understand that madrasas are not places where children are educated. Even if there are Muslim children in the madrasa, they should be enrolled in school while continuing their madrasa education," said Kanoongo.
The NHRC member claimed that this situation is a blatant violation of Article 28-3 of the Indian Constitution, which prohibits religious instruction in educational institutions wholly maintained out of state funds.
Kanoongo questioned the use of government funds for madrasas, stating that if the allegations are true, the state government must take action against officials responsible.
"This is a blatant violation of Article 283 of the Indian Constitution, and if this is happening with government funding, the state government must take action against these erring officials...," he said.
The NHRC has sent the complaint to the Madhya Pradesh government for investigation. Kanoongo stressed the need for clarity on the role of madrasas in education, emphasising that these institutions should not replace formal schooling.
The NHRC wrote to the Principal Secretary of the School Education Department of Madhya Pradesh, requesting an inquiry into the allegations and seeking an action taken report within 15 days.
According to a letter to the NHRC dated September 26, the complainant alleged that a well-organised illegal conversion racket is operating in various districts of Madhya Pradesh, targeting 556 Hindu children by enrolling them in 27 unauthorised madrasas with the intent to convert them to Islam.
"The complainant further alleged that these madrasas, located in Morena, Islampura, Zaura, Poursa, Ambah, Kailaras, Sambalgarh, and other areas, are teaching Hindu minors the Quran and Hadees without proper government sanction, in violation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2015. Article 28(3) of the Constitution of India, and the Madhya Pradesh Government Order dated August 16, 2024, which bars non-Islamic children from studying in Islamic madrasas. The complainant also alleged that the racket may involve illegal foreign funding and links to anti-national elements and that despite a year having passed, no effective government action has been taken," it read.
The complainant has sought the Commission's intervention in the matter and requested that authorities register an FIR, rescue the affected children, take strict action against the madrasa operators, and conduct a multi-agency high-level investigation to dismantle this illegal conversion network. The allegations made in the complaint, prima facie, appear to be violations of the human rights of the victims, the letter read.