District authorities demolished a building for a private school built by Abdul Naim in the village. A rumour was circulated alleging that the building was an “illegal madrasa” and that education was being imparted in an unauthorised manner. Villagers said the SDM, tehsildar, and station house officer inspected the site and reportedly found no violations, advising Naim only to obtain a panchayat NOC. Despite this, the panchayat issued a demolition notice on January 11, even as Naim maintained that all land documents were in order and that he had applied for operational permission from the School Education Department. The panchayat later handed him an NOC after protests from villagers, but the Deputy Commissioner refused to engage and asked him to either demolish the building or face demolition by authorities, with the cost charged to him. The school was demolished when the owner and the villagers were meeting the Deputy Commissioner regarding the matter.
Credit: X/ Kashif Kakvi
In Betul, Private School Building Demolished After Rumours of ‘Illegal Madrasa’
Location: Dhaba, Betul, Madhya Pradesh