After mosques and religious places, it appears that Muslim-run higher educational institutions are the new target of the Hindutva-fascistic agenda.
In a dramatic midnight operation on Feb. 22, the Special Task Force of Assam Police, supposedly assigned to counterterrorism operations, stormed the Guwahati home of prominent educationist Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor of University of Science and Technology (USTM) in Meghalaya, and arrested him on charges of exam malpractice. The same day, Mohammad AtiqGhauri, chairperson of Maulana Azad University, Jodhpur, was taken into custody by Rajasthan Police.
Earlier, Glocal University (Saharanpur) and Mohammad Ali Jauhar University (Rampur), both in the BJP-ruled state of Uttar Pradesh, were deliberately targeted. Since 2019, Azam Khan, founder of Jauhar University, has been imprisoned in Sitapur Jail. In 2019 and 2020, he was the subject of almost 90 cases, with ludicrous charges ranging from goat to buffalo theft. Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, boasts in the state assemblythat his government wants children to become “doctors, engineers, and scientists” rather than “mullas” or “maulvis”. While his government targets modern educational institutions run by minority managements. This is somewhat ironic.
Coming to the USTMissue, Assam Chief Minister HimantaBiswaSarma has been constantly making disparaging remarks against this institution.
To him, USTM seemed to have turned into an eyesore. Since taking the reins of the state in 2021, Sarma has become one of BJP’s leading rabble-rousers. He stepped up his attacks on USTM and its founder, Mahbubul Hoque, in August 2024. After accusing Hoque of encouraging “flood jihad,” he made the ridiculous assertion that the university’s domed gate was a sign of “jihad” and resembled a “Makka-like structure.” He even said that Assamese jobs for USTM graduates would be examined and denied. Now he accused USTM of financial malfeasance, granting phony degrees, and enormous fraud without offering any supporting documentation.
“The head of USTM himself is a fraud. The entire system is fraudulent, and the institution has been issuing fake certificates,”Sarma had remarked, also accusing Hoque of submitting a forged caste certificate. “How can our intellectuals support someone with a false certificate?”Sarma had questioned, intensifying the controversy surrounding the university and its operations.
The USTM administration responded to these baseless accusations, saying that such statements not only harm the institution’s reputation but also deter thousands of students, employees, and researchers who are dedicated to academic excellence.
The Meghalaya government also came forward in defence of the university, demanding that Sarma should provide evidence to support his claims.
Meghalaya Education Minister RakkamSangma emphasised that USTM is a legitimate state university, asserting, “We take education seriously in Meghalaya. If anyone is making serious allegations, we urge them to present proof.”
Meghalaya Chief Secretary DP Wahlang further affirmed that USTM is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), reinforcing the university’s standing.
Speaking with Radiance, Dr Rani Pathak Das, the university’s PR officer, stated that “Since its inception in 2011, USTM has earned its statutory credentials and has been significantly contributing to higher education, research, and social welfare. These baseless allegations not only defame the university but also call into question the credibility of the UGC and other government accreditation bodies that have consistently recognised the quality of education at USTM.”
She underlined that USTM secured the 52nd position in the “Nature Index,” which measures the quality of research output.
Despite the misinformation, USTM is an ethnically diverse institution with more than 80 employees and students from tribal and Hindu backgrounds. It is regarded as the top private university in the entire Northeast and became the first private institution from the region to receive an “A” rating from the NAAC in 2024.
Sarma’s untrue assertions have been strongly refuted by the most recent UGC-NET scores. The fact that more than 50USTM students passed the esteemed test demonstrated the institution’s academic prowess and exposed the BJP government’s unfounded charges against Hoque and his university.
It is the first State Private University of Science and Technology in the entire Northeast India which has been involved in fulfilling the aspirations of young minds by imparting quality since its inception in 2011. The University has been established in a picturesque landscape surrounded by tranquil greenery in Assam-Meghalaya border at Baridua, Ri-Bhoi District of Meghalaya. It is about 85 km from Shillong, capital of Meghalaya,and 6 km from Dispur, capital of Assam.
It runs under the Education Research and Development Foundation (ERDF) founded by Mahbubul Hoque in 2005 at Guwahati with the aim to impart quality education. As such, the foundation has established a network of educational institutions from primary to higher education, across Northeast India within a remarkably short span of time, encompassing a wider section of the society aspiring for education at different levels.At present, ERDF has student strength of over 9000 together in all the institutions under its umbrella.
Hoque was arrested on suspicion of using fraudulent methods to help a Sribhumi school pass the CBSE Class 12 Physics exam. The controversy started when it came to light that 274 students from the district’s Kendriya Vidyalaya had taken the test. According to reports, 214 of these students belonged to ERDF.
It is alleged that students were assured assistance in the 30-mark MCQ section of the exam at Central Public School, Patharkandi, run by 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,” Assam Education Minister RanojPegu, saidon social media.
However, Hoque’s arrest was widely condemned by political leaders and civil society groups calling the Assam government action vendetta politics. Abdul Khaleque, former Congress MP from Barpeta, has criticised Hoque’s imprisonment.
Echoing his sentiments, Assam Civil Society president Advocate Hafiz Rasheed Choudhry told Radiance that Sarma’s remarks that Hoque will remain in jail forever smacks of his vendetta against the USTM chancellor.
“How could he (Sarma) have the audacity to assert that Hoque will remain in jail? Will his guilt or innocence be decided by a court of law? His remarks are intended to sway the judiciary and state police, which is absolutely unacceptable,” Choudhry said.
Meanwhile, the Citizens For Fraternity said,“This is pure vendetta and we are confident that you will give directions for redressal.” It sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to intervene in the matter.
“This arrest of a respected, non-political citizen and his prolonged incarceration has been aimed at demoralising a section of progressive members of society. It prevents efforts by enlightened citizens to strive towards establishing modern secular institutions of higher learning and medical facilities,”saidthe letter signed by former CEC SY Quraishi, former Delhi LG Najeeb Jung, former AMU VC Zameer Uddin Shah, former MP Shahid Siddiqui and industrialist Saeed Sherwani.
The letter states that Hoque was arrested in the early hours of Saturday “without an initial charge-sheet or arrest warrant and has been lodged in Karimganj Jail, about 300 km from Guwahati”.
“The charge-sheet made available a day after his arrest accuses him of encouraging mass cheating in the Class 12 exam. The timing of arrest, on a Saturday morning when judicial redress is difficult, clearly smacks of vendetta by the Government of Assam against USTM and its founder,” the letter maintains.
Prominent Muslim organisations also denounced the selective targeting of Muslim-owned universities by various BJP-ruled governments. Taking serious note of it, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Vice President, Malik Moatasim Khan said, “We have serious concerns over the recent spate of arrests and legal actions targeting Muslim-run educational institutions across India in BJP-ruled states.” He said it appears to be a pattern of selective targeting of Muslim-owned educational centres of higher education.