Following the instructions passed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh Madarsa Council had issued orders on Friday that Independence Day will be celebrated in all madrasas. The order read that singing of National Anthem and Nationa Song is compulsory and videography will be done of the celebrations and sent to the council for confirmation of the orders being followed.
This order received mixed reactions from the Madarsas, as few of them recorded the event and followed the instruction while some of the madrasas said that they did not receive any such orders and the Independence day was celebrated like every year.
Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangimahli, head of Darul Uloom Firangimahal, said, “The Independence Day was celebrated in the madrassas traditionally with the unfurling of the national flag, the recital of national anthem and distribution of sweets among students.” Firangimahli, also a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said “an unnecessary hype has been created with regard to the government order as the madrassas have always been celebrating Independence Day with fervour and gaiety.”
Answering the question on madrassas of the Barelvi sect deciding against singing ‘Jana Gana Mana’ on the occasion the Maulana said that it might have been a comment of an individual, Madarsas have always sung the national anthem since independence. However, he expressed his distress saying that Yogi-led government should have issued the circular for all schools and colleges and not just specifically for the Madarsas.
Ashraf Usmani, spokesman of the Darul Uloom Deoband also supported Firangimahli, said that the day was celebrated by the unfurling of tricolor and singing of the national anthem. “We have been celebrating the day in this manner earlier too,” he said. Regarding the instruction of recording the celebrations, Usmani said that as far as he knows none of the Madarasa received any such orders of videography and questioned that the day was celebrated than what was the need for the evidence of the celebrations? “This is the function of our freedom, why will we not celebrate it,” he asked.
Minority Welfare Officer of Bareilly, Jagmohan Singh said a report on the recitation of national anthem and videography of Independence Day events in madrassas was being sent to the government.