MP: Man builds school with his money, demolished over rumours of running ‘madrasa’

Betul: A private school built by a man from Madhya Pradesh with nearly Rs 20 lakh of his own savings was partially demolished in Betul district’s Dhaba village over rumours and complaints that it was an illegally run “madrasa.”

The school was a passion project of resident Abdul Naeem, who put his entire savings into its construction but ended up seeing it demolished on January 13 as bulldozers razed the structure under the orders of senior officials.

Naeem wanted to give the children of the village and neighbouring tribal hamlets a chance at quality education, from nursery to Class 8, with some students coming to the educational institute from miles away.

“I had decided to construct the school on my private land so that my village can progress and some people can study. Senior officials claimed that we were doing wrong things here,” Naeem said.

Before owner could clarify rumours, building razed

On January 11, the gram panchayat reportedly issued a notice to Naeem directing him to demolish the building himself, claiming that it did not have the required permission.

This notice was allegedly given after rumours spread that Naeem’s building was an illegally built madrasa, in a village where there are only three Muslim families.

The demolition was then carried out under the supervision of Bhainsdehi Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ajit Maravi, which came days after the Collector, Narendra Suryavanshi, received a complaint, citing an unauthorised structure.

When the complaint resulted in the “illegal portion” being destroyed, Naeem and his supporters took to the streets holding demonstrations against the “bulldozer action.”

The protests were intensified since Naeem and other villagers, on January 13, had approached the District Collectorate office to seek clarification from the Collector hours before the demolition. However, before any dialogue, the administration made its move, arriving at the location with JCB machines, along with a heavy police presence. By evening, the front shed and a portion of the school was razed.

Collector, SDM claim action ‘followed legal provisions’

Collector Suryavanshi emphasised that the action followed legal provisions, clarifying that neither a school nor a madrasa was operated in the building.

“The construction (of the building) is completely illegal as a mandatory NOC (No objection Certificate) from the panchayat was not obtained. The gram panchayat had issued three notices to demolish the structure under the Panchayat Raj Act and passed a formal order. If such a large structure is being built, it is essential to follow the rules,” Suryavanshi told PTI on Wednesday, January 14.

The Collector said that administrative support was requested to remove the encroachment, and it was provided, adding that illegal activities won’t be protected.

SDM Maravi also defended the partial demolition, saying it followed a complaint from the gram panchayat alleging encroachment.

“A verification found that part of the construction fell under encroachment. Only the illegal portion has been removed, not the entire building,” Maravi told reporters, adding that all permissions were not procured.

Naeem claims he applied for permission for a school, not madrasa

According to Naeem, he had submitted an application to the Education Department for permission to operate the school on December 30.

Naeem insisted that his intention was never to open a madrasa, dismissing the rumours as “baseless.” He said that he was told that since there was no NOC from the panchayat, his building would be razed.

“I did not know that an NOC from the Panchayat was required. I was unaware of that,” he claimed. He said he was willing to pay a fine if any violations were committed, but the building should not be demolished under any circumstances.

“I applied to the MP Board, not for a madrasa. There are only three Muslim houses there. If I were to open a madrasa, whom would I even teach?” he said.

Meanwhile, local villagers who supported Naeem, like Sonu Panse, a Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti (JAYS) worker, also rejected the claims that madrasa-like activities were taking place. He accused villagers of spreading rumours, which led to the harsh administrative action.