Key Points
Abdul Naeem, a resident of Dhaba village, MP, used ₹20 lakh to build a school for tribal children on his property. Soon before construction was complete, a rumour spread claiming it to be an 'illegal madrasa'.
Based on this rumour, local authorities demolition part of the structure, labelling it an encroachment. This was despite Naeem having approached the State Education Departement and acquired a No-Objection Certificate from the panchayat.
Parents in Dhaba came out in support of Naeem and the school, highlighting the plight of their children's education and punitive action by the state.
A private school for Adivasi children under construction in Dhaba village of Betul district, Madhya Pradesh, was partly demolished by the district administration on 13 January 2026. The demolition was based on allegations that the building was an unauthorised madrasa. The action has left students, parents, and villagers distressed and uncertain about the future of local education.
The school was being built by Abdul Naeem, a resident of Dhaba, who invested nearly ₹20 lakh from family savings and borrowed money to create a nursery to Class 8 institution for children in his village and nearby Adivasi hamlets. Naeem told The Indian Express that his sole aim was to reduce the long distances children must currently travel for schooling. “I built this on my private land so that children here would not have to travel so far every day,” he said.
Dhaba village has a population of around 2,000 people, with about 90% Adivasi residents and only three Muslim families. Naeem stressed that the idea of a madrasa was baseless. “How would a madrasa even function here? The building was not complete, and there were no students,” he said.
The school – named SK Public School – was reportedly about 90% complete, with only washrooms still under construction. Naeem had planned to open it in the next academic session.
Construction was proceeding when, three days before demolition, rumours began spreading that the building was a madrasa. On 11 January 2026, the gram panchayat issued a notice asking Naeem to demolish the structure, citing lack of permission. Naeem said that when he went to submit a formal reply, panchayat officials refused to accept his application and told him to return later. He maintained that he had already applied to the School Education Department on 30 December 2025 for approval to run a school and had submitted all land documents.
After villagers protested against the demolition notice, the panchayat issued a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) against the construction on 12 January 2026. The sarpanch later stated that she had received no complaint alleging that the building was an unauthorised madrasa. Despite this, on 13 January 2026, when Naeem and several villagers travelled to the district headquarters to meet the Collector, a bulldozer arrived at the site in Dhaba with heavy police presence. By evening, part of the school building and the front shed had been razed.
Bhainsdehi Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ajit Maravi said the action followed a panchayat complaint alleging encroachment and rule violations. “A verification found that part of the construction fell under encroachment. Only the illegal portion has been removed, not the entire building,” he told The Indian Express. Maravi added that all mandatory permissions had not been obtained.
Naeem disputed this. He said he had a panchayat NOC and had applied for school approval. “If there was any mistake in paperwork, I was ready to pay whatever fine the government demanded. My only request was that the building should not be demolished,” he said.
For Adivasi families, the demolition has revived long standing educational hardships. Sonu Panse of Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti said no religious activity was taking place and the school was being built with village consent so children could study nearby. He accused some people of spreading false rumours that led to administrative action.
Kapil Kavde, an Adivasi parent from Dhaba, told Maktoob Media that his children leave home before sunrise to reach school several kilometres away. “If school starts at 8 in the morning, they have to start at least two hours before,” he said. He added that families spend significant money on transport and children return exhausted. “If we have a school in the village, it will be good for the children, for us, and for the overall development of the village,” Kavde said.
A Class 7 student from a nearby hamlet said she often misses school when transport does not arrive. “My school is 14 kilometres away. If the van doesn’t come, we have to skip school,” she said. “We were happy to see a school nearby, but it is now gone.”
Villagers said no official consulted them before demolition. “If there was a problem with papers, why punish the children,” one elder said. Parents described the project as a collective effort, supported by Naeem, villagers, relatives, and well wishers. “Building a school was a collective dream,” Kavde said.
Activist Hemant, also known as Sonu, who accompanied villagers during protests, told Maktoob that once the word “madrasa” spread, the administration’s stance changed. “Even after the NOC was issued, the demolition happened. The administration acted first and explained later,” he said.
Observers pointed out that the demolition appeared to conflict with Supreme Court guidelines against summary “bulldozer justice”, which require prior notice and a hearing before any demolition. In this case, villagers say the demolition happened while Naeem was meeting the district Collector, leaving him no opportunity to contest the action on site.
Parents fear that without local schooling, educational inequality in the region will deepen. “This was not just one man’s building. It was our chance for our children to study,” Kavde said. For now, the partially demolished structure stands as a stark reminder of lost opportunity for Dhaba’s children.
[DS]
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