USTM Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque arrested in Guwahati over exam fraud, fake degree scam

The Chancellor of the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), Mahbubul Hoque was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Assam police from his residence in Guwahati.

The arrest is in connection with a case registered in Assam’s Sribhumi, following allegations of exam malpractice in a school run by ERD Foundation, whose chairman is Hoque.

Last year Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accused Hoque of Flood Jihad. Sarma has alleged that due to rampant destruction of hills along the Assam and Meghalaya border by the university Guwahati faced severe artificial flooding.


A group of students from Goalpara, who claimed to be part of the ‘Vision 50’ program run by ERD Foundation, alleged that they were promised assistance in the 30-mark MCQ section of their CBSE Class 12 exam at Central Public School, Patharkandi. However, when the assistance was not provided, it led to chaos and vandalism.

Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu stated in X, “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 and teachers were locked inside, prompting police intervention. This serious violation of academic integrity demands an urgent and thorough investigation.”

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has levelled serious allegations against the institution, accusing it of widespread fraud, including issuing fake degrees and engaging in financial irregularities.

He also alleged that USTM had been selling PhDs and other degrees without conducting proper examinations.

“The head of USTM himself is a fraud. The entire system is fraudulent, and the institution has been issuing fake certificates,” Chief Minister Sarma had remarked, also accusing Hoque of submitting a forged caste certificate. "How can our intellectuals support someone with a false certificate?" Sarma had questioned, intensifying the controversy surrounding the university and its operations.