GUWAHATI, Feb 28: Arrested chancellor of the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), Mahbubul Haque, is being interrogated at the Dispur Police Station after he was brought to Guwahati by a team of Sribhumi Police.
Haque, who was sent to 4-day police remand by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Sribhumi on Tuesday, by was brought to Dispur Police Station an hour or so before noon along with Numaan Ahmed, another arrested teacher of Central Public School, Patarkandi, which is run by Haque’s Education Research and Development (ERD) Foundation.
Haque was arrested by a Special Task Force (STF) team of Assam police from his Ghoramara residence in Guwahati around 1:30 am on February 22.
The entire matter of examination malpractice had come to light after chaos and pell-mell prevailed at Patarkandi’s Central Public School with students of the school protesting over non-fulfilment of promise made by the institution to help them in the 30-mark MCQ section in their CBSE Class 12 examinations.
After allegations of exam malpractice surfaced, police swung into action and arrested Mahbubul Haque, whose University of Science and Technology Meghalaya had earlier come under criticism from Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma who had accused the university of fraud and issuance of fake degrees besides accusing Haque and his institute of launching a “flood jihad” against Guwahati and it’s residents, ostensibly because of rampant deforestation Haque carried out to build his institution on a hillock bordering Guwahati.
Assam Education Minister Dr Ranoj Pegu had clarified regarding the alleged examination malpractice and why the USTM chancellor was taken into custody.
““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,” Dr Pegu said in a post on ‘X’.
