Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, known for his Islamaphobic stance, accused a private university in Meghalaya of having caused a flash flood in Guwahati city which he termed ‘flood jihad’. The university management has rejected the chief minister’s accusations.
The Chancellor of the University of Science & Technology, Meghalaya, M Haque, held a press conference on Monday, August 12, inviting media personnel to visit the university’s boundary and observe the ongoing construction activities.
Haque firmly denied any actions that could have affected Assam, stressing that all construction work is being carried out in accordance with the rules and permissions granted by the local village and district administration, reported local media.
On August 7, Sarma and his ministry were criticised by the Assam High Court over Guwahati’s poor water drainage management causing a flash flood on August 5.
To save his ministry’s face over the failure Sarma resorted to targeting a Muslim-owned private university in the neighbouring state of Meghalaya. The University of Science & Technology, Meghalaya, established by Bengali-origin Muslim educationalist Mahbubul Hoque is situated in the hills while Guwahati is situated in the nearby valley downstream.
Sarma, known for creating sectarian and Islamophobic controversies that have proven to instigate communal unrest, was refuted by the university in a statement.
The university has claimed that it has been recognised as a ‘green campus’ by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and also made it clear that the university conducts regular deforestation drives and maintains rainwater harvesting plants and five large natural reservoirs.
