Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has intensified his campaign against a Muslim-owned University, Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) and has reportedly proposed prohibiting the varsity students from applying for government jobs in the state.
Sarma’s announcement follows his previous accusation against the university, claiming its construction activities contributed to folding in Guwahati, which he dubbed “flood Jihad”.
Speaking on the matter on Wednesday, Sarma said that his government is discussing restrictions on students who have passed from USTM to prevent them from securing advertised government posts in Assam. He further went on to say that Guwahati and Dibrugarh University students are suffering because of this.
“I have ordered the legal department to examine if students from USTM University want a job in Assam. Not just USTM but from West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and all outside universities. But my anger against USTM is more. Because they are throwing water at us,” he added.
Sarma, well-known for for creating sectarian and Islamophobic remarks has made a series of rhetorical remarks in recent weeks, framing his opposition to USTM within a larger narrative. He called for Assamese students to boycott the university and argued that if students from Guwahati stopped attending USTM, it would improve flooding issues, proposing an economic solution.
The USTM, a private university is located at the Assam-Meghalaya border. The institution has garnered the top 200 under the NIRF, run by Mahbubul Hoque – a Bengali Muslim from Assam. He is also the Chancellor of the Institute.
Chancellor Hoque has been at the receiving end of several attacks from Sarma. He has accused him of being responsible for flash floods in Guwahati due to “deforestation” and hill-cutting for campus construction, as well as claiming that the university’s main gate with three domes is a sign of “jihad”.
Subsequently, M Haque, held a press conference on Monday, August 12, inviting media personnel to visit the university’s boundary and observe the ongoing construction activities.
Haque firmly denied any actions that could have affected Assam, stressing that all construction work is being carried out by the rules and permissions granted by the local village and district administration, reported local media.
The university has claimed that it has been recognised as a ‘green campus’ by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and also made it clear that the university conducts regular deforestation drives and maintains rainwater harvesting plants and five large natural reservoirs.
On August 7, Sarma and his ministry were criticised by the Assam High Court over Guwahati’s poor water drainage management causing a flash flood on August 5. To save his ministry’s face over the failure Sarma resorted to targeting a Muslim-owned private university.
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