The mood at the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya was upbeat Tuesday. A day earlier, the Ministry of Education had announced the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024 and the institute had featured in the list of top 200 universities — the only private university from the Northeast to make it to the list. The same day, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had launched another tirade against the university after having accused it of “flood jihad” the previous week. On Tuesday afternoon, the university administration held a short celebration in its 5000-seat auditorium. Addressing the students, faculty and members of the administration gathered there, Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque began by commenting on the timing of the good news: “Kabhi aankh jalne se, upar paani daalne se achha lagta hai, hai na? (Sometimes when your eyes burn, doesn’t it feel good when water is put on it?)”. This drew cheers and hoots from the students. In the past week, Hoque has been at the receiving end of vitriol from the Assam Chief Minister, ranging from accusations that he was responsible for flash floods in Guwahati last week because of deforestation and hill-cutting for construction work on the campus – it is located on the outskirts of Guwahati but uphill in the descending hills of Meghalaya – and that he is waging “flood jihad”; to saying that the architecture of the university’s main gate, which has three domes atop, is a sign of “jihad”. In fact, the auditorium in which Hoque was addressing his students had also been a target of attack. The large auditorium is a popular venue for major events and Sarma claimed that he is building a “bigger hall” in Guwahati so “nobody will have to go to USTM”. He had even called on students and staff from Assam to not work and study there. Wearing his white cap and dressed in a white kurta-pyjama set, Hoque told his students and staff, “I am away from all politics. I am aware that I look like a religious man, but I am very much away from all religious activities. I only see the students’ faces… The students make this institution. I never thought that we would be facing such negativity at any point of our journey.” Hoque, a Bengali Muslim from Assam’s Karimganj district, began his career by starting a computer training centre under the Manipal Group and went on to establish the Education Research and Development Foundation. Over the years, he gathered recognition for his work in the field of education. In 2022, he received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service by then Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik. While the foundation runs a network of institutions across Assam and Meghalaya, the USTM is his crown jewel. It was established through a 2008 Act passed in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and became functional in 2011. Its growth has been rapid and it secured an ‘A’ grade accreditation from the NAAC in 2021 in its first cycle of accreditation and it has been in the top 150-200 band of universities under the NIRF for the last three years. Speaking to The Indian Express about Sarma’s offensive against him and the university, Hoque said, “Is there any other private university from the Northeast in the ranking? We are the only university. If we have disturbed education in any way, will we get a ranking? And ranking is not for any one thing. It includes all parameters. Quality education, in practice, outreach, collaboration, research. We have more than 150 patents. I love competition and sometimes I love jealousy also. But you must be constructive, na? This is our agenda and this is how we will be working… If you feel you have some personal competition with me, you are most welcome to compete. But don’t compete with an institution because it is a temple of knowledge. That must be protected by everyone.” Asked if he is aware of why he has attracted Sarma’s ire, he said he is “totally ignorant about it.” “We are a green campus. We have our drainage, we have a big water reservoir inside which we accumulate water. We are doing a lot of plantation, so we need water. If people are saying that this small campus is giving water for Guwahati’s artificial flood, it is their intelligence, it is their thoughts. But I cannot accept all these things… Being academicians engaged in our activities, we are not in a position to give replies and dragging on the issue. We are not interested in that. We are under the government of Meghalaya. If they are asking anything, if they want to visit, inspect, let them come. And if there is something wrong we have done, we will correct it,” he said. After his statements, Sarma’s political opponents have pointed out that he himself has attended multiple events at the university and in 2021 had even inaugurated a new block there. Hoque pointed at this as an instance of what he said was the university’s non-partisan nature. “We say that this is a people’s university. Everyone comes. If any place becomes aligned with a particular party, other political parties do not go there. But we as a university are away from religious activities, we are away from politics. That’s why people of all religions, all political parties have come here to organise their functions and attend various functions. Two Presidents of India have come here. All Governors and Chief Ministers of the Northeast have visited. More than 700 vice-chancellors have visited this institute ( the institute hosted a conference of vice-chancellors last year). And we have students from all the Northeastern states,” he said.
