New private universities in Assam will need ‘national security’ clearance: CM Himanta Sarma
The decision was prompted by a controversy involving the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya and its Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque, the BJP leader said.
New private universities in Assam will require a “national security” clearance from the state government, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday.
The institutes would also need to undergo “periodic inspections to ensure full adherence to the secular principles of our Constitution”, the chief minister said.
Sarma added that the universities would also be required to “confirm that they are not directly or indirectly involved in religious conversion”.
The clearance would be provided by the state’s home department.
Assam has taken another landmark decision to protect national security interests. Anyone seeking to establish a private university or any technical or medical educational institution must obtain clearance from the Home Department from a national security perspective.… https://t.co/RCwPPtdewW
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) March 5, 2025
The chief minister said that violation of the rules could lead to the license of those universities being revoked, the Hindustan Times reported.
Sarma said the Cabinet’s decision on Tuesday to amend the 2007 Assam Private Universities Act was prompted by the controversy involving the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya and its Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque, The Indian Express reported.
Sarma has previously made disparaging remarks about Hoque and the institute.
In August, Sarma said that he was looking into the possibility of restricting students who graduate from the USTM, which is located in neighbouring Meghalaya, from competing for roles in the state government.
The statement came against the backdrop of the chief minister’s claims that the university was responsible for the flash floods in Guwahati on August 5. He alleged that the campus was built by cutting trees and destroying hills in the adjacent Ri Bhoi district, which triggered floods. The chief minister accused the university of “flood jihad”.
The hills of Meghalaya in the Ri Bhoi district slope into Guwahati. The campus is about six km from the outskirts of Guwahati.
Sarma had also criticised the university gate’s domed architecture, comparing it to “Mecca-Medina” – which are spiritually significant places for Muslims.
Hoque was arrested by the Assam Police in two cases after students at a school run by his Education and Research Development Foundation alleged malpractice during the physics examination.
He was granted bail in one of the cases on Monday.
