Daijiworld Media Network – Bahraich
Bahraich, Sep 26: In a shocking discovery, 40 girls aged between nine and 14 were found confined inside a toilet of an unregistered madrassa during a district administration inspection in Pahalwara village under Payagpur tehsil, officials said on Thursday.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ashwini Kumar Pandey said the raid followed repeated complaints about the illegal madrassa operating in a three-storey building. “On Wednesday, when we reached the premises, the operators initially resisted our entry upstairs.
In the presence of police, we went to the terrace and found the toilet locked. When female police personnel opened the door, 40 frightened girls came out one by one,” he stated.
District Minority Welfare Officer Mohammad Khalid said locals revealed that the madrassa had been running for nearly three years without registration. “The management failed to produce any documents of legality. During the 2023 survey, 495 unregistered madrassas were identified in Bahraich, and this one seems to have escaped the team’s notice,” he explained.
The madrassa management claimed the girls panicked amid the commotion and locked themselves inside. Orders have been issued to shut the institution and ensure all girls are safely sent home, officials confirmed.
Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Ramanand Prasad Kushwaha said no FIR has been lodged so far. “If any complaint is received from the parents, SDM, or the minority welfare officer, appropriate legal action will be taken,” he added.
Authorities await a new state regulatory framework for unregistered madrassas as the investigation continues.