After 'flood jihad', Himanta slams Meghalaya University's 'Mecca-like' gate
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has intensified his criticism of the University of Science and Technology in Meghalaya (USTM), alleging that the university displays images of Mecca—Islam's holiest site in Saudi Arabia—at its entrance, while lacking symbols of Hindu or Christian faiths. This new critique follows Sarma's earlier accusation that the university's construction activities, which involve demolishing hills on campus, are contributing to waterlogging issues in Guwahati, the state capital. He called it "flood jihad."
'Make a namghar, church...': Sarma
"It's embarrassing to go there, you have to go under Mecca. What we are saying is that there should be a namghar (community prayer hall, part of Assam's neo-Vaishnavite tradition) also there. Mecca-Medina, church. Make all three... They have kept a 'Mecca' there," he said, according to the Indian Express. "Let them make a namghar, make a church. We will walk under all three, why will we walk under just one," he added.
What Sarma said on 'flood jihad'
Sarma recently accused USTM of causing "flood jihad" by contributing to deforestation and hill cutting in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district. He questioned why hills were cut toward Guwahati and not toward Meghalaya, saying, "Is this not flood jihad?" The Assam CM had shared satellite images of deforestation near USTM on social media, expressing concern about environmental destruction in the Greater Jorabat Hills.
Will move NGT against USTM, says Sarma
Sarma added that his Bharatiya Janata Party government plans to take legal action against the university by approaching the National Green Tribunal (NGT). He also noted that late Congress leader Tarun Gogoi, who served as Assam's chief minister from 2001 to 2016, had previously pointed to water from the Jorabat area along the Assam-Meghalaya border as a factor contributing to the "artificial flood" in Guwahati.
'Sarma's jihad of repeated nonsense,' says Congress MP
Meanwhile, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, son of former CM Tarun, slammed Sarma's comments in a social media post. He described the Assam CM's accusations as "nonsense." He added, "Can someone stop the Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa from his jihad of repeated nonsense? It is simply an exaggerated cover up for his failures and scams."
USTM was founded in 2008
USTM, a private institution founded in 2008, is sponsored by the Education Research and Development Foundation, established by Mahbubul Hoque, who also serves as the university's Chancellor. Hoque, a Bengali Muslim from Karimganj district in Assam's Barak Valley, leads the foundation. The university is situated in the 9th Mile area of Ri-Bhoi district in Meghalaya, close to Jorabat in Assam, which acts as a gateway to Guwahati.
