Assam government proposes stricter rules for private universities

The Assam government has introduced new legislation requiring private universities to obtain national security clearance before setting up operations in the state. The institutions must also uphold secular values and refrain from engaging in religious conversion activities.

Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu tabled The Assam Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the state assembly on Friday. He stated that the bill mandates security clearance for sponsoring bodies, prohibits religious conversion, restricts the introduction of new technical and medical courses, and requires government inspections every three years.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma emphasized the strict provisions, stating, “Private universities willing to set up in Assam will have to obtain national security certificates from the Home and Political Department. Secondly, those universities will have to be secular and cannot associate with religious conversion either directly or indirectly.” He further added that any university violating these provisions would face cancellation of registration.


Meanwhile, Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor of the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), was recently arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police from his residence in Guwahati. The arrest was linked to allegations of exam malpractice in a school run by the ERD Foundation, where Hoque serves as chairman.

Last year, Sarma accused Hoque of “Flood Jihad,” alleging that unregulated destruction of hills along the Assam-Meghalaya border by the university had led to severe artificial flooding in Guwahati. The chief minister indicated that the newly proposed provisions would also apply to institutions like USTM.