JAGATSINGHPUR: A team of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and Child Helpline rescued five children aged between five to 10 years from a madrasa, which was allegedly functioning illegally at Dhanipur village under Jagatsinghpur police limits on Saturday.
Sources said, upon receiving allegations about illegal madrasas operating in the district without official recognition and children being forcibly kept there, SP Ankit Kumar Verma alerted the CWC to conduct an inquiry.
Subsequently, a team of the CWC and Child Helpline, led by CWC chairperson Sankutala Chaudhury, conducted a raid at a madrasa at Dhanipur and rescued five children.
The committee verified their identity documents, including Aadhaar cards and confirmed they were from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
They also examined the institution’s records and directed its authorities to submit detailed documents regarding its functioning.
The maulvi of the madrasa, Daulat Khan, said the institution has been running for the last one year and the five children have been studying there since the beginning.
“All expenses, including food and other necessities are borne by the head of the madrasa and the children are being taught Urdu, Hindi, English and religious subjects,” he added.
The SP said, “The CWC has rescued five children, but we have not yet received the detailed inquiry report.
Once the report is received, necessary action will be taken.”
CWC chairperson Sankutala Chaudhury said, “The rescued children are from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. They were sent to the local Sishu Ashram for rehabilitation. We asked the madrasa authorities to produce legal documents, but they failed to do so. It is suspected that the madrasa is being run illegally. The inquiry report will be submitted to the SP for further legal action.”
District child protection officer Kanhu Charan Rout informed that steps were taken for the repatriation of these children to their respective native states. “Information has been sent to their guardians to come and take them at the earliest,” he added.