On 12th August, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma again raised questions on the private university of Meghalaya and referred to the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya’s (USTM) structure as that of Mecca and labelled the institution as a prominent centre of jihad. A few days prior, he had charged the institution with engaging in what he identified as the “flood jihad,” asserting that it was ruining education and the domed gate was a symbol of “jihad,” which makes people feel embarrassed to visit.
Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier this month accused the university’s development projects of causing the Guwahati flash floods. According to him, the institution, which is located in the Ri-Bhoi area of Meghalaya, carried out the cutting of hills and deforestation, which caused the flash floods. He reportedly criticised the private university’s structure. He mentioned that the university’s main gate is topped with three domes and it appears as if one is heading to Mecca, therefore he stated it is humiliating to come there.
‘It’s embarrassing to go there, you have to go under ‘Mecca’. What we are saying is that there should be a namghar (community prayer hall, part of Assam’s neo-Vaishnavite tradition). Mecca-Medina, church, make all three. They have kept a ‘Mecca’ there. Let them make a namghar and a church. We will walk under all three. Why should we walk under just one,” he asked. “They are doing jihaador baap (slang, translating to ‘father of jihad’). I’m being mild by calling it jihad. It is destroying our education system. Whatever attacks our civilisation, our culture, that is called jihad,” when inquired about his use of the term ‘jihad’ concerning the establishment.
According to the Shillong Times, there has been significant soil erosion near this university and the district officials haven’t taken any measures to address the serious issue. “USTM is a danger to Assam. We will go to the National Green Tribunal against it,” the chief minister declared. “Why did the hills cut towards Guwahati and not towards Meghalaya? Is this not flood jihad,” he asserted.
He pointed out that former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi also made similar comments in the past after Gaurav Gogoi criticised his statement. “When I spoke about USTM, the Congress created an uproar, but I have found at least 25 paper clips from 2004 to 2014 in which ex-CM Tarun Gogoi had stated that the main reason for Guwahati’s artificial floods is Jorabat. What can I do if the son says that his father was wrong,” he expressed.
The chief minister highlighted that although USTM was not constructed during Tarun Gogoi’s administration, water logging issues were still a result of the water coming down from Jorabat. He contended that the Congress party was creating an uproar because the USTM owner is Muslim. “Had the owner been a Hindu, no ruckus would have been created by them. They shouldn’t indulge in such politics of appeasement.”
On the other hand, the varsity’s chancellor, Mahbubul Hoque, vehemently denied the charges levied by the Assam chief minister. “We are located nearly 6 kilometres away from Guwahati city, with over 100 acres of land. Since 2011, we’ve been working on developing USTM, and from 2009 for the engineering college. It’s surprising and disheartening to hear that we are being blamed for the recent floods.” He added, “The land from our area to Guwahati spans thousands of hectares, and the flood problem is a cumulative effect of multiple factors. Blaming USTM without proper investigation is unfair, especially given our efforts to maintain a sustainable and environmentally friendly campus.”
USTM, a private institution is located in the Ri-Bhoi district, close to Guwahati, the capital city of Assam. Mehboobul Haque, a Muslim of Bengali descent who lives in the Karimganj area of the Barak Valley in Assam, founded the institution. He is also serving as the chancellor of the university. It is the largest private university in the Northeast and is run by the Education Research & Development Foundation (ERDF) which was also created by Mahbubul Hoque in 2005 at Guwahati. It is situated in front of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in the Ri-Bhoi district on the border between Assam and Meghalaya. In 2008, the Meghalayan government published a notification for the university. However, it began to function in 2011. The university is situated in a forested environment, due to which a large amount of forest and hills have been cleared. According to Himanta Biswa Sarma, the university has affected the ecosystem.
