After finding itself in the crosshairs of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over its alleged contribution to flooding in Guwahati, the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) hit back today.
Sarma had made communally-tinged statements partially blaming “Flood Jihad” from the university on last week’s inundation of Guwahati’s roads. USTM’s Chancellor and founder is M Hoque and the Hindu nationalist Sarma sought to deflect blame away from his own administration and shift it to a Muslim-linked university, saying that rampant earth cutting on the campus had made the floods in Guwahati worse.
Hoque today strongly condemned the communal nature of Sarma’s allegations, saying that the term “Flood Jihad” touched upon religious sensitivities.
He emphasised that USTM was established to serve students from all communities across Meghalaya and the entire North East and not for any religious purpose.
During a visit by journalists to the USTM campus, Hoque showed them the university’s drainage and water harvesting systems. He highlighted that the campus is equipped with proper drainage infrastructure designed to manage rainfall effectively, with water largely contained within the campus area. Hoque described Sarma’s allegations as baseless, asserting that the university’s practices are not contributing to the flooding in Guwahati.
USTM, Hoque continued, has conducted numerous afforestation drives, which have made the campus greener compared to surrounding areas. He also said that much of the earth cutting around the university, which lies close to the Assam-Meghalaya border, is being done on land owned by others.
“The greenery on our campus stands in stark contrast to the barren lands outside affected by rampant earth cutting,” the USTM Chancellor said.
Meanwhile, Sarma has reportedly continued with his rant against USTM. In some of the worst of his comments (which were not delivered in English), the Assam CM supposedly said, “I feel ashamed to go through the gate of USTM. It’s like entering Mecca…” and “[USTM] is destroying our students… It’s more than jihad… They have destroyed our culture and heritage.”
