Unknown Imams & Madrasa Teachers: Assam Govt Gets Tough; Portal Soon For ‘Outsiders’

Guwahati: Assam is set to get tough on imams and madrasa teachers from outside the state.

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday that villagers will have to inform local police if they see any unknown imam (Muslim cleric) in their locality.

This is part of new standard operating protocol (SOP) issued in the state. A portal is also being set up for those who are coming to madrasas (Muslim religious schools) from outside the state.

The move to make police verification and online registration mandatory for imams and madrasa teachers from outside Assam follows the arrest of 25 persons, including Bangladeshi nationals, in the last four months with links to Bangladesh-based terror outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), which is allegedly associated with Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

On Saturday, police arrested two imams, who were with different mosques in the district, in Goalpara district and recovered incriminating documents, phones and SIM cards linking them with jihadi outfits like ABT and AQIS.

“We have made some SOP that if any imam comes to your village and you do not know him, immediately inform the police station. They will verify, and only after that, the imams can stay. Our Muslim community of Assam is helping us in this work,” Biswa Sarma said.

“We’re also making a portal for imams and other people who are coming to madrasa from outside the state. Those who are from Assam do not need to register their names in that portal,” he added.