LUCKNOW: Around 40 minor girls, aged between nine and 14, were found locked inside a toilet of an unregistered madrassa in Pahalwara village under Payagpur tehsil in Bahraich district, officials said on Thursday.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ashwini Kumar Pandey said the girls were discovered during an inspection of the madrassa, which had repeatedly drawn complaints for operating illegally. The three-storey building was initially resistant to the inspection, but police accompanied the officials upstairs. “When the door of the toilet on the terrace was opened by female police personnel, the girls came out one by one. They were frightened and unable to speak clearly,” Pandey said.
District Minority Welfare Officer Mohammad Khalid confirmed that locals reported the madrassa had been running for around three years without registration. The management and staff were unable to produce any documents proving legality. During a 2023 survey, 495 unregistered madrassas were identified in Bahraich, but this one appears to have escaped notice.
When questioned about why the girls were hiding in the toilet despite the madrassa having eight rooms, a teacher, Takseem Fatima, claimed the children panicked during the commotion and locked themselves inside.
Authorities have ordered the madrassa to be shut down. “The management has been instructed to safely send the girls home, and it appears all have now returned to their families,” Khalid said.
Additional Superintendent of Police Ramanand Prasad Kushwaha said no FIR has been registered yet. “The parents, SDM, or minority welfare officer have not approached us for lodging a case. If a complaint is received, appropriate legal action will be taken,” he added.