USTM chancellor arrested for alleged 'fraud', promised students high scores; Assam CM claims

GUWAHATI: The chancellor of the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya, (USTM) Mahbabul Haque was arrested from his Guwahati residence in the early hours of Saturday, police said. He was allegedly involved in a network that lured students with assurance of high marks through "fraud means", Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed.

Haque was arrested by a team of the Sribhumi district police. He was taken to Sribhumi immediately, a police officer said. Commenting on Haque's arrest, Sarma said, "For some time now, I have been observing a large network which promises students that they will ensure high marks for them, and ahead of medical and engineering entrance and CBSE-conducted exams, the examination centre of these students are changed to some specific schools."

"Over 200 students under the CBSE curriculum from Goalpara, Nagaon and Kamrup districts were taken to a centre in Pathakarndi in Sribhumi, hundreds of kilometres from their home, this time also. When the students did not get any opportunity to score easy marks, they created a ruckus and the issue came to the fore," the CM claimed.

Students raised allegations

Students appearing for board exams at a school in Patharkandi had raised allegations on Friday that their school authorities had assured them of external help in answering the question paper, but no such help was provided. Sarma claimed that such fraud measures were not limited to CBSE-conducted exams alone, but happening in the medical entrance exam as well. "This person is a big fraud, his entire background is fraud. He had been trying to mislead the people by bringing a few intellectuals under his influence," Sarma alleged, referring to Haque. "We will ensure that education is not transformed into business in Assam. We will take steps to prevent it," he added.

Haque was embroiled in a controversy last year over his OBC certificate, which he had obtained "fraudulently" in Sribhumi district in the 1990s. Sarma had said in August that a police case would be registered against the USTM chancellor for allegedly fraudulently obtaining the OBC certificate, which was cancelled subsequently. The CM had also held USTM and Haque responsible for "flood jihad" against Guwahati, claiming that the water flowing down from the varsity campus, which is located on a hill adjacent to the city, leads to massive flooding.