Madrasa in Assam's Goalpara demolished by locals to protest against jihadi activities in its premises
The use of the madrasa premises for the anti-national activity came to light following the arrest of one Jalaluddin Sheikh, a cleric of the madrasa. The madrasa located in Pakhiura Char under Matia police station and the residence adjacent to it was allegedly used for jihadi activities by two Bangladeshi nationals, who are currently absconding, the police said.
FollowIn the Goalpara district of Assam, a madrasa and a house next to it were allegedly demolished on Tuesday in retaliation for the usage of the location for jihadi activities, according to the police. The madrasa located in Pakhiura Char under Matia police station and the residence adjacent to it was allegedly used for jihadi activities by two Bangladeshi nationals, who are currently absconding, the police said.
The arrest of one Jalaluddin Sheikh, a madrasa cleric, revealed the usage of the madrasa grounds for the anti-national action. Sheikh had allegedly engaged the duo as teachers of the Darogar Alga Pakhiura Char Madrassa and was arrested recently for his reported links with them, a police official said.
The madrasa is the fourth to be demolished in the north eastern state. According to the official, "the people willingly demolished the madrasa and the house next to it as a symbol of intense animosity for Jihadi operations."
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The official further added that the absconding Bangladeshis, members of Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS)/Ansarul Bangla Team (ABT), were found to be Aminul Islam alias Usman alias Mehdy Hasan and Jahangir Alom.
According to the official, the duo had lectured in the madrasa on several occasions between 2020 and 22. Since August of this year, three further madrasas in the districts of Morigaon, Barpeta, and Bongaigaon have been destroyed by the relevant agencies.
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Last month, as the Morigaon madrasa was razed to the ground, Sarma announced that the state was becoming a “hotbed of jihadi activities” with five modules linked to al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent and the Ansarullah Bangla Team busted since March. Sarma distinguished between “jihadi activity” and “terrorist or insurgency activity”. The former, he said, started with “indoctrination” at the madrasa, usually by imams from outside the state, which then led to “subversive activities”.
(WIth PTI Inputs)
