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New Delhi: As many as 40 minor girls were found locked inside the toilet of an unregistered madrassa in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh. The girls aged between nine and 14 years were found confined in the bathroom during an inspection of the illegal madrassa, officials said on Thursday.
A police team raided the madrassa on Wednesday after the district administration received several complaints regarding its functioning. The unregistered madrassa was located inside a three-storey building in Pahalwara village under Payagpur tehsil.
"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.
Why girls were hiding in toilet
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Payagpur Ashwini Kumar Pandey said that when a police team reached the building for an inspection, they were initially stopped to go upstairs by the madrassa operators. "When we entered the premises, we found that the toilet on the terrace was locked," the SDM said.
He said that female police personnel opened the locked door and found 40 minor girls hiding inside the toilet. The SDM said that the girls appeared petrified and were not able to say anything clearly.
On being asked why the girls were locked inside the toilet even as the madrassa has eight rooms, a teacher that the girls panicked and locked themselves inside.
Madrassa had no document related to registration
While locals alleged that madrassa had been running for around three years without registration, District Minority Welfare Officer Mohammad Khalid has been asked to verify the registration and legality of the institution. According to Khalid, the management and staff failed to provide any document related to registration or legality. He said that they are examining the record of madrassa and ordered its closure.
