West Bengal police issue unmarked survey proforma to madrasas over foreign links
Police in West Bengal distributed an unmarked survey form to madrasas, mosques and idgahs seeking foreign funding, visitor details and border-distance data. Activists demanded official paperwork and a government notification to legitimize the exercise.
Key takeaways
- An unmarked questionnaire was distributed to religious institutions in West Bengal by police and the Department of Minority Affairs.
- The form asks about foreign funding, foreign visitors over the past three years, student exchange programs, and distance from border areas, among other details.
- Critics say there is no visible government notification or official authority backing the survey, prompting demands for clarification and legal grounding.
What Happened
Authorities in West Bengal began distributing an unmarked questionnaire across madrasas, mosques, and idgahs in multiple districts. The form requests information on the source of foreign funding, details of foreign visitors in the last three years, any ongoing foreign exchange programs for students, and the distance of each site from international border areas. It also asks for the establishment’s name, address with GPS coordinates, affiliation, ownership, registration number, a photo of the premises, and the number of staff and students. Additional items inquire about any legal disputes, FIRs or chargesheets against staff, and the political affiliations of staff, faculty, or alumni. The survey is reported to be conducted by the police in conjunction with the Department of Minority Affairs of West Bengal. The forms are said to have been distributed in districts including Barrackpore, Birbhum, Malda, Murshidabad, Haroa, and the North and South 24 Parganas. In several instances, the forms were delivered late at night and involved tense exchanges with locals. Citizens and rights groups have criticized the move, noting the lack of any government notification, issuing authority name, official stamp, memo number, date, or a cited legal provision supporting the survey.
Instances cited include: a team from Nimta Police Station visiting Masjid Baitul Muazzam and a nearby madrasa around midnight on August 12 to request submission by the following morning; in Birbhum’s Lohapir Jama Masjid, three civic volunteers from Nalhati Police Station served the proforma on August 6 to all mosques and madrasas, directed to Azizur Rahman, a mosque head. Activists quoted by the report said they would not submit information absent a properly issued government document or notification.
Civil rights groups and activists have submitted memoranda to West Bengal’s Chief Minister and the Director General of Police, seeking an inquiry and clarification on the survey and its basis in law. They argue the lack of an identifiable government order or legal framework renders the exercise questionable.
Why It Matters
The unmarked proforma touches on sensitive information about religious institutions and their links to foreign activity, provoking concern about civil liberties and the use of state surveillance powers. Critics say the absence of a clear government notification or legal citation raises questions about the authority behind the survey and the potential for misuse of collected data. If validated by an official order, proponents say the survey could illuminate funding and visitation patterns; if not, opponents view it as an extralegal or overbroad measure with the potential to stifle religious communities.
Background
West Bengal has seen ongoing scrutiny of religious institutions and their associations with external entities, with prior debates over governance, funding transparency, and security concerns. The current reporting indicates a coordinated data-gathering effort involving police and the Department of Minority Affairs, but the public record attached to the forms lacks a visible government notification or formal order.
Key Facts
- Unmarked survey proforma distributed to madrasas, mosques, and idgahs across multiple districts in West Bengal.
- The form solicits: source of foreign funding; details of foreign visitors in the last three years; any current foreign exchange programs for students; distance from border areas; and information on legal disputes, FIRs or chargesheets against staff, and political affiliations of staff/faculty/alumni.
- Survey allegedly run by the police and the Department of Minority Affairs of West Bengal.
- Districts mentioned include Barrackpore, Birbhum, Malda, Murshidabad, Haroa, and the North and South 24 Parganas.
- In at least two cited cases, forms were served late at night; one incident occurred around 12 a.m. on August 12 at Masjid Baitul Muazzam and a nearby madrasa, with a request to submit by the next morning.
- In Birbhum, three civic volunteers from Nalhati Police Station served the proforma on August 6 to all mosques and madrasas of a single mosque head, Azizur Rahman.
- Civil rights groups (APCR) and activists have called for government-notified, legally grounded procedures and have demanded transparency about the issuing authority and notification accompanying the forms.
What Happens Next
Activists and rights groups have promised further inquiries and formal responses to the Chief Minister and the Director General of Police. The reporting indicates a call for a clarifying government order or notification to legitimize the data collection; whether such a notice will be issued remains unconfirmed in the material provided.
Sources reviewed
Project Chintan independently synthesized and analyzed information cross-checked across the sources listed above.
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