Child rights body summons chief secys of 11 states, UTs for not giving data on non-Muslim children in madrassas

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has summoned the chief secretaries of as many as 11 states and UTs for not acting on a directive to identify non-Muslim children studying in madrassas so that they could be admitted to schools.

Among the states and UTs that have been summoned are Haryana, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya and Telangana.

Commission Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo said the child rights body has been continuously asking all states and union territories (UTs) for the “last one year to identify Hindu and other non-Muslim children going to madrassas or living in madrassas and get them shifted and admitted to schools”.

The commission had also asked all states and UTs to “make arrangements to provide basic education to children enrolled there by mapping all unmapped unrecognised madrassas”.

Meeting from Jan 12

Chief secretaries of Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have been asked to appear before the child rights body on January 12, while the top bureaucrats of Andamans and Goa have been asked to appear on January 15.

The CS of Jharkhand has been called on January 16, while those of Karnataka and Kerala have to appear on January 17. On January 18, the chief secretaries of Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya and Telangana have been called.

The NCPCR had earlier asked the states to conduct an inquiry into all government-funded and recognised madrassas which admit non-Muslim children. The NCPCR had asked for the inquiry to include physical verification of the children, and eventually admit the children in schools.