A joint team of police and the Special Task Force (STF) arrested Mahbubul Haque, Chancellor of the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), from his residence in Guwahati’s Ghoramara in the intervening night of February 21 and 22. A case has been registered in Karimganj.
Earlier in the evening of February 21, Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu in a post on X, said, “Shocking allegations have surfaced against USTM’s unethical practices in education. 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.” The school is owned by Education Research and Development Foundation which runs several educational institutes including USTM. The ERDF was founded by Haque. According to sources in the USTM, Haque was taken away by the police from his residence in Ghoramara in Guwahati at around 1:30 AM.