Mahbabul Hoque, the chancellor of the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) – a private educational institution in Assam's Guwahati, was arrested on Saturday from his residence. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claims that he was allegedly involved in a network that lured students with assurance of high marks through "fraud means". As per the police, Haque was taken to Sribhumi immediately.
"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.
Sarma alleged a network is involved in Malpractice during exams
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."
Sarma further claimed that this time also, 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. The matter was highlighted after students created chaos as they were not given the promised 'external' help.
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. "We will ensure that education is not transformed into business in Assam. We will take steps to prevent it," he added.
Before this, Haque was involved 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.
(PTI inputs)