Badruddin Ajmal said he is prepared to go to Supreme Court over the issue
Badruddin Ajmal, chief of opposition AIUDF in Assam, has threatened to go to court over the demolition of a madrassa in the state. A third Islamic school -- Markazul Ma-Arif Quariayana Madrassa in Bongaigaon district -- was demolished yesterday following the arrest of a teacher who was allegedly linked to AQIS sleeper cell modules.
"AIUDF might approach the Supreme Court over the demolition," Mr Ajmal said while visiting the madrassa.
"Arrest them if they are jihadis, give them capital punishment. But why demolish? We will meet the Assam Chief Minister. We will challenge this. If required, we will go to the Supreme Court," Mr Ajmal said.
This was the second private madrassa to be demolished this week, and the third in the state. The Jamiul Huda Academy Madrassa was bulldozed in Barpeta district last Monday.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that no academic activity was taking place at the madrassa and that it was being used as a training hub by Al Qaeda terror group.
The Chief Minister today said the action on madrassas was not a witch hunt.
"Our only intention is to see that madrassas are not used for jihadi work. We got specific input that the institution, under the guise of madrassa, was used for other purposes," he told reporters.
After yesterday's demolition, the Bongaigaon district administration has imposed prohibitory orders banning large gatherings from today.
Another AQIS (al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent) operative, meanwhile, has been arrested. Ajmal Hussain, 39, was picked up by Goalpara police, yesterday morning.
After thorough interrogation he was arrested last night in connection with a case relating to the module of AQIS-backed sleeper cells that was busted in Assam's Goalpara last week.
The police said Ajmal Hussain has confessed to being a member of the terror group AQIS-ABT. He has admitted to giving shelter to Bangladeshi Jihadis at his home in Guwahati. Police sources said he has undergone AQIS training in Barpeta.