Mahbubul Hoke, owner of the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM), a private educational institution has been arrested by the Assam Police from his residence in Guwahati.
Hoke faced a series of attacks by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, including allegations of ‘flood jihad’. Indian Express said that his arrest was confirmed, the Assam police officer said that action has been taken in connection with the registered case in Sribhumi district on Friday.
According to the police, during the CBSE Class 12 Physics Examination held on Friday, a “law and order” situation arose at the Central Public School in Partarkandi area of Sribhumi district.
The police further stated that the school has been established by the Education and Research Development (ERD) Foundation, which is established by Hoque, which also runs a Ustm.
Of the 274 students who were sitting for the examination, 214 were nominated in a special coaching program Vision 50 run by the USTM. It has been alleged that the students made “a law and order situation” that when they were nominated in the program, they were promised “necessary assistance” by Inveigalers to pass the exam, Which they did not receive.
After Hok’s arrest, CM Himant alleged that the USTM is “fraud” and issues students “fake certificates and degrees”, which is the latest in a range of attacks by the Chief Minister.
Institution – private universities from the Northeast rejected the allegations as “baseless” – to make it in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024.
In August last year, Sarma called for the word “Flood Jihad”, which was to pin the flash flood defect in Guwahati on construction work at USTM located in Reh-Bhoi district of Meghalaya. Himanta alleged that deforestation and hill-cutting flash were responsible for the floods for the campus.
Hok is a Muslim of Bengali origin from Karimganj district of Assam in Barak Valley. He is also the Chancellor of the university, promoted by the Education Research and Development Foundation, which is also established by Hoke.
A week after the flood allegation of Jihad, Sarma said his attack on three domes in the university over the main gate of the institution: “It is shameful to go there, you have to go under ‘Mecca’.”
What we are saying is that there should also be a name at the community prayer hall, the newly-Vishnava tradition of Assam). ‘Mecca-Madina’, Church. Make all three … They have placed a ‘maize’ there. Let them make a name, make a church. We will walk under the three, why will we walk under only one, ”he said.
