UP minister seeks report on madrassas skipping anthem on Independence-Day

BAREILLY: UP minister of state for minority welfare

Baldev Singh Aulakh

said on Wednesday that he will seek a report from across the state on

madrassas

that skipped singing of the national anthem on Independence Day.

This comes a day after reports that many madrassas in UP sang “Sare jahan se achchha Hindustan humara” instead of national anthem '

Jan Gan Man

' on Tuesday, citing their religious beliefs. Some madrassas had also refused to video-record proceedings of Independence Day celebrations as directed by the UP government earlier.

“I will seek a report from all madrassas in this connection," Aulakh told TOI. "If it comes out that some madrassas did not sing the national anthem and celebrate the day as a national festival, we will take cognizance of the matter. After discussing it with officials, we will decide what kind of action can be taken in such matters.”

Bareilly divisional commissioner P V Jagan Mohan had told TOI on Tuesday that depending on the strength of evidence even the stringent National Security Act (NSA) could be slapped on "violators" in such cases. “We received a few complaints that the national anthem was not sung at some madrassas. We have asked complainants to produce evidence as we do not want to appear as if we are harassing anybody. But if the preliminary inquiry confirms the charge and the management of madrassas accepts it in writing, we will book them. Depending on the evidence, we may apply the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act and NSA against such individuals,” the senior bureaucrat said.

Though many madrassas in UP did sing the national anthem and, in a few instances, even recorded the event, quite a few refused to follow the government guideline. In Bareilly, shehr qazi Maulana Asjad Raza Khan had issued an appeal saying, “Tagore wrote the national anthem in praise of the then British King George V. According to Islam, our 'adhinayak' is god and not George. We do not disrespect national anthem but can't sing it due to our religious sentiments.”
Clerics, teachers and students of the world renowned Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulema in Lucknow also skipped singing the national anthem. Nadwa Maulana Khalid Ghazipuri Nadwi said, “The national anthem has the word `Sindh', which is now in Pakistan. We cannot pray for Pakistan. If government removes the word, we will sing it proudly.”

The Bareilly cleric had ruled out any videography of

I-Day celebrations in madrassas

, saying it was against Islam. “According to Shariat, photography and videography are un-Islamic. They are asking us to flout rules of Shariat which are taught in madrassas. If the government wants proof, it should deploy a few inspectors or officials to witness the event,” Khan had said. He had appealed to managers of madrassas to hoist the national flag, sing ‘

Sare jahan se achchha Hindustan humara

’, distribute sweets and remember freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

Pilibhit shehr mufti Maulana Jartab Raza Khan had echoed the sentiments and sought chief minister Yogi Adityanath's intervention in withdrawing the order.
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