All six accused persons were produced in a local court which sent them to judicial custody.Over the past year, Hoque has faced a series of hate campaigns by the Assam CM including allegations of “flood jihad.”The CM alleged that Hoque’s university flattened hills to build new structures causing the water of Meghalaya to flow down into Guwahati and result in floods, naming it “flood jihad.”Recently, the CM also accused the university of issuing fake degrees, prompting the Meghalaya government to issue a counter statement.“USTM is a state university, mandated by the Assembly of Meghalaya. Degrees are recognised by the UGC. Therefore, there is no question of it being fake,” Meghalaya Chief Secretary DP Wahlang stated.Opposition parties and politicians have condemned Hoque’s arrest as “political vendetta.”“This arrest is the culmination of months of targeted attacks by the Assam CM, driven by his vested interests. Why is the Assam CM making this a personal and political vendetta? Why is he attempting to undermine and dismantle a premier NAAC-A Grade institution like USTM, which operates under the jurisdiction of the Government of Meghalaya and is governed by the academic regulations of UGC,” Congress leader Dr. Maskoor Usmani wrote on X.
Source link
