GUWAHATI, Aug 28: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has directed the Karimganj deputy commissioner to file an FIR against University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) chancellor Mahbubul Haque accusing the latter of obtaining an OBC certificate “fraudulently”, which, he said, was subsequently cancelled by the then DC of Karimganj.
Addressing mediapersons here on Wednesday, Sarma informed that a report from the Karimganj DC revealed that the USTM chancellor had obtained a fake OBC certificate, which was however cancelled by the then DC.
Reportedly, the certificate was issued to Haque on August 24, 1992 and that his OBC status was officially withdrawn by the district administration on August 20, 1996.
“Till date, we presumed that he was an educator. But how can someone with a fake OBC certificate be considered an educator?” he asked.
The chief minister, without divulging further details, said that the USTM chancellor claimed to have belonged to the Kiran community to obtain the fake OBC certificate. “However, amidst complaints against him, the Karimganj DC, after listening to all complainants, cancelled the certificate but did not file an FIR,” Sarma said.
“According to the law, a criminal case should have been filed after such a revelation. However, an FIR was not filed at that time. But now, I have asked the DC to file an FIR,” he said.
Notably, chief minister Sarma has, over the past three weeks, been very vocal against USTM, accusing the private university, located near Guwahati, of waging what he termed as “flood jihad”, a reaction apparently triggered by the artificial floods that inundated various locations of Guwahati on August 5 last.
The chief minister had blamed the “hill cutting by USTM” for escalating the problem of flash floods in Guwahati. He even warned of moving the National Green Tribunal against USTM for alleged rampant hill cutting by the institute.
Moreover, firing another salvo at USTM a week back, the chief minister had directed the state’s legal department to look into provisions for USTM graduates to appear for another exam to be considered for jobs in Assam.
Speaking to mediapersons, Sarma said that USTM pass-outs seeking jobs in Assam, or for that matter, graduates from private universities of any other state, would have “to appear in another exam to be considered for jobs in the state”.
Sarma’s accusations against USTM however has drawn flak from the influential All Assam Students Union (AASU) along with Opposition parties in the state.
