Lucknow: In a startling incident, district authorities on Wednesday rescued 40 minor girls who were found locked inside a toilet on the terrace of an unregistered madrasa in Pahalwara village, under the Payagpur tehsil of Bahraich district. The madrasa, identified as Jamia Ghazia Gulshan-e-Ghausulwara, had been operating illegally for nearly three years in a three-storey building at Patihar Chauraha. Acting on repeated public complaints about the institution’s functioning, a team led by Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ashwini Kumar Pandey of Payagpur conducted an inspection, according to reports.
“When we reached the building for inspection, the madrasa operators resisted our entry to the upper floors,” Pandey told PTI, adding, “With police assistance, we proceeded upstairs and found a locked toilet on the terrace. Upon opening it, female police personnel discovered 40 girls, aged between nine and 14, who emerged one by one, visibly frightened and unable to speak clearly."
District Minority Welfare Officer (DMO) Mohammad Khalid, who accompanied the team, confirmed the madrasa’s unregistered status. "The management could not provide any valid documentation," Khalid said, as per the reports.
"This madrasa had not been recorded during the 2023 district survey, which had identified 495 unrecognised madrasas in Bahraich," he added.
According to media reports, Khalid stated that the institution was exclusively for girls and offered residential facilities. "There were eight rooms for accommodation and study. Some girls were boarders, while others commuted from nearby villages," he said, as per the reports.
A teacher, Tafseen Fatima, presented registration forms for 40 students but claimed that the main records were with her father, Khalil Ahmed, who operated the madrasa.
Responding to the discovery of the girls in a locked toilet, Khalid explained, “The students and staff appeared to panic at the sight of the police. It seems they locked themselves in to give the impression that the madrasa was not operational.”
SDM Pandey added that the institution has now been ordered to shut down. “All the girls have been safely handed over to their families,” he said.
Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Ramanand Prasad Kushwaha confirmed that no First Information Report (FIR) had been registered as of yet. Neither the parents nor the SDM nor the minority welfare officer has filed a complaint. Should any be received, appropriate legal action will follow,” he said.
Khalid also noted that while some illegal madrasas were sealed in 2024, their operators managed to obtain stays from the High Court. A comprehensive regulatory policy for such institutions is still awaited from the state government.
The district administration continues to examine records associated with the madrasa and monitor similar unrecognised institutions in the region.
