In a landmark administrative crackdown aimed at dismantling appeasement-era institutional silos, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s BJP government in West Bengal has officially dissolved the West Bengal Madrasah Service Commission. All teacher recruitment for state-aided madrasahs across the state will now be brought under the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), establishing a unified “One State, One Recruitment Framework.”
One State, One Recruitment: Ending Parallel Structural Privileges
For decades, West Bengal operated under a bifurcated educational administration where a separate commission governed madrasah hiring, creating backdoors for recruitment irregularities, opacity, and political interference. By revoking the Madrasah Service Commission, the state government has eliminated the parallel structure to restore transparency, efficiency, and uniform recruitment standards across all educational institutions.
As part of this structural reorganization, Aliah University, which previously operated under the Department of Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education,has been formally transferred to the Department of Higher Education, aligning its academic oversight with standard state university protocols.
“The Madrasa Service Commission has been dissolved and merged into the School Service Commission. Henceforth, the appointments in madrasas will be made through the School Service Commission.” — Suvendu Adhikari, Chief Minister of West Bengal
The Statewide Survey That Unmasked 2,396 Illegal Institutions
This major policy shift follows an exhaustive statewide verification drive launched in June 2026 across all 22 districts and Kolkata. The survey, conducted by state authorities to audit management systems, infrastructure, approval status, and academic curricula, revealed alarming systemic non-compliance across government and private institutions.
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Total Approved Institutions: 2,132 madrasahs were found to be operating with valid board authorizations and rules compliance.
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Unregistered / Illegal Operations: 2,396 madrasahs were discovered operating without valid government registration or board approval.
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Immediate Administrative Action: The government ordered the immediate closure of 252 madrasahs and served show-cause notices to 100 others.
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Focus Geographies: The crackdown concentrated heavily on border and sensitive districts, including Malda, Murshidabad, North Dinajpur, South 24 Parganas, and Nadia.
Neutralizing National Security Threats in Khariji Networks
The verification drive placed special scrutiny on Khariji madrasahs, independently operated religious institutions funded through private charitable trusts, public donations, and foreign funding channels outside state financial oversight.
Investigating teams found that several unregistered Khariji units were functioning as hubs for fundamentalist brainwashing and anti-national propaganda, completely detached from formal educational frameworks. By enforcing strict registration requirements and shutting down illegal setups, the state government is pursuing a dual objective: protecting students from radicalization and ensuring they receive mainstream science, mathematics, and humanities training to compete in the modern economy.