LUCKNOW: In a shocking incident, two minor boys, 13 and 14 years of age, who escaped from a madrasa in Lucknow, on Friday, were found with their feet chained by the madrasa Maulana to prevent them from running away.
The boys fled the madrasa located in Gosainganj to their native village of Barabanki, a distance of around 35 km, with their feet in chains.
When the two minors reached the village after escaping from the institution on Friday afternoon villagers were taken by surprise to see them in iron shackles and they freed the two boys by cutting the chains.
Maulana Riyaz of the madrasa had chained them to prevent them from escaping as they did on a few occasions in the past, sources said.
The incident came to light after a video of the minors seen chained went viral on social media and it was sent to the police authorities, who reached the site and freed the children before detaining the Maulana.
However, the parents of the boys submitted a written application in the local police station admitting that they had urged Maulana Riyaz to treat the boys strictly. The parents said they did not want any legal action against him.
According to the police, the parents of the two boys claimed that the children had attempted to escape the madrasa multiple times in the past, hence, they had requested the Maulana to be strict with them.
According to Gosainganj police station in-charge Shailendra Giri, the younger boy, 13, was admitted to the madrasa for better ‘Deeni Talim’ (religious learning). “His parents said that he had come home during Ramzan and never wanted to return,” said the cop.
However, according to Dr Shuchita Chaturvedi, member, UP State Child Right Child Protection Commission, inhuman behavior and corporal punishment to children in educational institutions is an offence drawing action. In this regard, if atrocities would be committed on the children even with the consent of parents in the name of strictness, legal action was proposed against them, said Dr Chatruvedi.
She added that it was also against the law to not report matter even after being in the know-how of it.
Dr Chaturvedi claimed that the parents were responsible for the nurturing of the child. “If in any circumstance, the child is living anywhere other than his/her home, the liberty to commit atrocity on him/her could not be given,” she said.
As per the police authorities, an inquiry would now be conducted into the credentials of the madrasa to ascertain if it was on the government panel or not and also the sources of its funding, the number of students enrolled in it and also their permanent address.
A local police officer said that during the probe, it would also be inquired if the Maulana was treating other students with the same strictness and the culprit would be adequately punished on the basis of the probe report.