40 minor girls found locked in toilet at illegal madrasa in UP
Bharaich: Forty girls, aged seven to 14, were found confined inside a toilet at an unregistered madrasa in Payagpur tehsil of Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, during an inspection by district authorities on Wednesday evening.
Hindustan Times reported, citing officials, that the madrasa was being run illegally in a three-storey building in Pahalpurwa village without approval.
The institution, identified as Jamia Ghazia Gulshan-e-Ghausulwara at Patihar Chauraha, has now been shut down.
Bahraich (UP): 40 minor girls (aged 9–14) were found inside an illegal madrasa. When the police arrived, the girls were discovered locked inside toilets.
— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) September 26, 2025
Now imagine the outrage if this had happened in any Hindu religious place. But since it’s a madrasa, not even the so-called… pic.twitter.com/SFuYjKVNVf
Sub-divisional magistrate Ashwini Kumar Pandey said the administration had received repeated complaints about the madrasa.
“On Wednesday, during our inspection, the madrasa operators initially tried to prevent us from going upstairs. In the presence of police, we entered the premises and found the terrace toilet locked,” Pandey was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
“When female police personnel opened the door, 40 girls aged between nine and 14 emerged one by one. The girls appeared frightened and were unable to speak clearly,” he added.
District minority welfare officer Mohammad Khalid confirmed the madrasa had been running illegally for nearly three years and had no valid documents.
A 2023 survey had already listed it among 495 unrecognised institutions in Bahraich.
Khalid said panic spread when police arrived.
Students and teachers locked themselves inside the toilet to give the impression the madrasa was shut, according to the report.
He added that eight rooms in the building were used as hostels for girls, while others were for day scholars.
A teacher, Tafseen Fatima, produced registration forms but admitted records were with her father, Khalil Ahmed, who managed the madrasa.
All the girls were safely reunited with their parents, officials confirmed.
No FIR has been filed yet.
Additional SP (City) Ramanand Prasad Kushwaha said the parents, SDM, or the minority welfare officer hadn't approached the police for lodging a case.
"If any complaint is received, appropriate legal action will be taken,” Kushwaha said, according to the report.
The state government has yet to finalise a policy on unrecognised madrasas, though some were sealed last year before their managers obtained a High Court stay.
A regulatory framework is expected soon.
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