GUWAHATI: Sonitpur district police arrested University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque hours after the Gauhati High Court granted him bail in the second Sribhumi case and blocked his arrest in the three cases in Gossaigaon, Kokrajhar and Barpeta, on Wednesday, March 12.
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A Sonitpur district police official confirmed the arrest, "Yes, we have taken him in remand and he is being brought,” he said.
Hoque was first arrested on February 22 following allegations from 274 students who appeared for the Class 12 CBSE Physics exam at Central Public School, Patharkandi in Sribhumi district. The school is managed by the ERD Foundation, whose chairman is Hoque. On March 3, the High Court granted him bail in the first case filed by Patharkandi police.
The controversy stems from USTM’s “Vision 50 Programme,” under which 214 students—mostly from outside the region—were allegedly enrolled at Central Public School without attending classes there. These students had reportedly been taking coaching at USTM’s Guwahati campus instead. Allegations surfaced that students were assured of assistance during the exam, but on the day of the test, they were left without help, leading to chaos.
Along with Hoque, five other accused—Hiramani Saikia, Bijoy Dutta, Rezzak Ali, Numaan Ahmed, and Imdadur Rahman— were also arrested.
