Hindutva in Action: CM Dhami’s Operation Kaalnemi Targets Religious Conversions & Madrasa System.

Operation Kaalnemi: Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Launches Crackdown on Religious Conversions and Overhauls Madrasa Board.

Upananda Brahmachari | HENB | Bengaluru | Aug 30, 2025:: In a significant move to tighten its grip on religious conversions and minority education, the Uttarakhand government, led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, has launched Operation Kaalnemi and introduced new legislation to amend the state’s freedom of religion law and reform the minority educational institution framework.

Operation Kaalnemi: A Crackdown on Suspicious Activities
Under Operation Kaalnemi, the Uttarakhand Police have verified over 4,000 suspicious individuals and arrested more than 300 people, including a Bangladeshi national, for allegedly misusing religious identity and playing with the faith and traditions of Sanatan Dharma. The operation has seen significant action in Haridwar, where 162 arrests have been made, and in Dehradun, where a Bangladeshi citizen was caught disguising himself in religious attire.

Tightening Anti-Conversion Laws
The Uttarakhand government has passed the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which makes converting someone’s religion through coercion, inducement, or deceit a criminal offense. The law prescribes strict penalties, including:

– 3-10 years of imprisonment and a fine of ₹3 lakh for hiding one’s religion with the intention of marriage.
– Up to 14 years of imprisonment for converting vulnerable groups, including women, children, SC/STs, and disabled persons, or for mass conversions.
– 7-14 years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of ₹10 lakh for taking foreign funds for conversion.
– Life imprisonment for conversion by threatening life.

Reforming Minority Education
In another major move, the Dhami government has passed the Uttarakhand Minority Educational Institutions Bill, 2025, which allows educational institutions belonging to all minority communities, including Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis, to apply for minority status. This bill ends the monopoly of the Muslim community over minority educational institutions and is set to be the first law of its kind in the country.

As part of this reform, the Uttarakhand government has also decided to abolish the Madrasa Board and replace it with the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority, which will grant recognition to minority educational institutions.

Madrasa Board Abolition

The Dhami government has decided to abolish the Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board Act, 2016, and the Uttarakhand Non-Governmental Arabic and Persian Madrasa Recognition Rules, 2019. Instead, a new authority, the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority, will be set up to grant recognition to minority educational institutions.

Minority Educational Institutions Bill

This bill allows educational institutions belonging to Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis, along with Muslims, to get minority status, ending the Muslim community’s monopoly over minority educational institutions.

Implications and Reactions

These moves have sparked mixed reactions, with some hailing them as a step towards protecting the state’s cultural identity and others expressing concerns about potential misuse and impact on religious freedom. As the bill becomes law, its implementation and implications will be closely watched.

The Uttarakhand government’s actions reflect a broader trend of states taking more assertive stances on issues of religious conversion and education, sparking debates about the balance between religious freedom and state regulation.
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