Assam: Muslim bodies urged to maintain vigilance; verify Imams' details

Guwahati, Sep 4 (IANS) The Assam Police on Sunday urged Muslim organisations and board of Madrassas to maintain vigilance and follow the procedures while engaging teachers (Imams) from outside the state, and also verify the necessary details including the identity.

The directive has come in the backdrop of the arrest of 37 jihadi cadres in little over a month in Assam for their alleged links with the Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent and the Ansarul Bangla Team, a Bangladesh-based terror outfit,

Director General of Assam Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta held meetings on Sunday with leading Muslims organisations and the Madrassa board functionaries and sought their helps against the terror groups.

"During the meeting, we have requested them to seriously verify the person's identity, previous backgrounds and submit these information to the police. Police would soon launch a portal, where every detail of the madrassas and the teachers engaged mandatorily be uploaded," the police chief told the media on Sunday.

Mahanta said that a committee would be formed who would ensure enforcement of the rules and regulation in the madrassas.

The Assam Chief Minister recently said that the government is now preparing Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the new Imams who are coming to the state from outside.

The DGP has suggested teaching Mathematics, Science, English besides religious education in the Madrassas. The Muslim groups have sought 6-months time for implementation of the government guidelines.

There was a demand to carry out a survey of Madrassa operating in the state.

The police official said that All Assam Tanzim Madaris Qawmiya, the board of non-government Madrassas of Assam, submitted a list of 739 religious madrassas affiliated to them in the state.

There are more than 1,000 unregistered madrassas or such institutions.

Last year, the Assam government had converted 700 state-funded Madrassas into general schools.

Last month, the Assam government bulldozed three Madrassas in different parts of the state allegedly for having links with a terror outfit.