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The girls, aged between 9 and 14, were found inside the toilet of the illegal madrassa in Pahalwara village during a police inspection here.
The girls found in the madrassa toilet were frightened and unable to speak anything. (Representative Image)
In a shocking incident, at least 40 minor girls were found confined inside a toilet of an unregistered madrassa during an inspection in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich, officials said on Thursday.
The girls, aged between 9 and 14, were found inside the toilet of the illegal madrassa in Pahalwara village after the district administration received complaints regarding the Islamic institution in the three-storey building, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Payagpur Ashwini Kumar Pandey told news agency PTI.
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“On Wednesday, when we went to the building for an inspection, the madrassa operators initially tried to stop us from going upstairs. In the presence of police, we entered the premises and found the toilet on the terrace locked,” he said.
According to Pandey, a female officer opened the door and found at least 40 girls hiding inside the toilet. They looked frightened and were unable to say anything clearly. District Minority Welfare Officer Mohammad Khalid has been asked to verify the registration and legality of the institution.
Locals informed that the madrassa had been running for nearly three years without registration, and the management could not produce any document related to registration or legality. “During the 2023 survey, 495 unregistered madrassas were identified in Bahraich, and it appears this one escaped the survey team’s notice then,” Khalid said.
When the staff was asked why the minor girls were hiding inside the toilet despite there being eight rooms in the madrassa, a teacher claimed they panicked in commotion and locked themselves inside, he said, adding that orders have been issued to shut down the institution while the police examine the madrassa records.
“The management has been told to send the girls safely to their homes and it seems all have now reached back home,” he said. The officer also informed that the UP government is expected to roll out a new regulatory framework for illegal madrassas.
Additional Superintendent of Police Ramanand Prasad Kushwaha said no FIR has been registered so far. “The parents, SDM, or the minority welfare officer has not approached us for lodging a case so far. If any complaint is received, appropriate legal action will be taken,” he said.
Last month, two teachers at a madrassa in Varanasi were allegedly brutally assaulting and threatening a 12-year-old student for two consecutive days in connection with an alleged theft.
(with inputs from PTI)
About the Author
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
Bahraich, India, India
September 25, 2025, 17:25 IST
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