Uttar Pradesh: A suspected attendance fraud involving teachers’ salaries has surfaced in government-aided madrasas in Uttar Pradesh, with allegations that fake biometric attendance was used to withdraw salaries in the names of absent or unauthorised teachers. The reported irregularities have been linked to madrasas in Jaunpur and Barabanki, where attendance was allegedly marked using plastic cards and fingerprints.
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The matter came to light after a video reportedly showed proxy attendance being marked through plastic cards for teachers who were not present. The report said the alleged fraud continued because of insufficient departmental inspection and because attendance machines were not linked to an online face authentication system.
Fake Attendance Allegations in Madrasas
According to the report, the issue first emerged in Jaunpur’s Madrasa Abre Rahmat Majhgaon, where fake attendance of teachers was allegedly recorded by using fingerprints of the manager’s sons. Salaries were then withdrawn in the names of teachers.
A similar case was reported from madrasas in Barabanki. One madrasa named in the report is Islamia School Mela Raiganj, where around two dozen teachers are employed and the attendance of all teachers is reportedly done through biometric thumb impression. However, the report said the system does not have admin control and is not online.
Video Triggers Questions Over Biometric System
In the video the absent teachers were shown as present through plastic cards. It is alleged that the irregularity continued because of weak departmental inspection and the failure to connect attendance machines with online face authentication.
The video showed how fake attendance was being marked through cards in madrasas. After the disclosure, government officials were said to be discussing an inquiry.
Officials Had Ordered Online Attendance
The High Court had ordered online attendance in all madrasas in the matter of biometric attendance. A committee had also been formed, directing online authentication in all madrasas. Despite this, the report claimed attendance was being recorded only as a formality in some places. Under the biometric attendance process, all staff members are required to provide fingerprints. The details are then printed on a plain sheet and sent to the government to show how many teachers attended.
A case involving Shahzud Hula Khan, who allegedly kept receiving salary and VRS-related pension benefits from a madrasa while living abroad for 10 years. It said a teacher named Talimunnisha, daughter of the madrasa manager Durgaprasad Prajapati, allegedly continued receiving salary through fake attendance for six months while staying in Dubai. In Jaunpur’s Madrasa Abre Rahmat Majhgaon, fake attendance of four teachers was allegedly being marked through the fingerprints of manager Babar Qureshi’s son Angoori. The director of minority welfare has ordered an inquiry, which is still under way.
