Assam Police arrested Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor of University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), from his residence in Guwahati’s Ghoramara today morning.
As per reports, he was arrested by a police team comprising Panbazar Police and Special Task Force (STF) of the Assam Police.
Hoque’s arrest is reportedly linked to allegations of facilitating unfair means during the CBSE Class 12 Physics examination in a school in Sribhumi.
Reports had emerged that total of 274 students appeared for the Physics exam at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Assam’s Sribhumi (Karimganj) district, including 45 from the school and 214 from the Education Research and Development Foundation (ERD).
The ERD foundation, which was founded by Haque, owns the school. ERDF also runs several other institutes, including USTM.
Assam Cabinet Minister for Higher Education, School Education, Tribal Affairs, wrote on X, “Shocking allegations have surfaced against @ustm_A’s unethical practices in education. Students were reportedly assured assistance in the 30-mark MCQ section of their CBSE Class 12 exams at Central Public School, Patharkandi (owned by the USTM group). Many, mostly from Goalpara, were strategically placed there to gain an unfair advantage in exams. When external invigilators refused to comply, chaos ensued—teachers were locked inside, prompting police intervention. This serious violation of academic integrity demands an urgent and thorough investigation.”
Hoque’s detention comes in the wake of several allegations hurled by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma since last year, which he appears to have a persistent grudge.
In the past, Sarma has accused USTM Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque of obtaining an OBC certificate fraudulently and of the university practising “flood jihad” by cutting hills on campus that Sarma claimed resulted in flooding of Guwahati. He also mandated that USTM graduates seeking jobs in Assam would have to go through an additional round of examinations.
His latest one is that USTM hands out fake degrees, which, however, was denied by the USTM as well as the Meghalaya government.
