Flooding in Assam is not a new thing, currently there is flood in Guwahati, Assam. The Hemant government has been heavily criticized for its poor flood management. Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Hemant Biswa has blamed the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) for the Guwahati floods.
USTM is a private university in Meghalaya and is owned by Mehboob ul Haq. The Chief Minister of Assam has accused this university of a new type of Jihad. Chief Minister Hemant alleged that a private university owned by a Muslim was spreading ‘flood jihad’.
After this statement of Hemant Biswa, a new discussion has started in the country. Expressing disappointment over his statement, university owner and chancellor Mehboob ul Haq said, “We never thought that we would face such negative things during our journey.”
What is ‘Flood Jihad’?
According to Hemant Biswa, due to the building of the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya, the water is getting stagnant and causing floods in Guwahati. Talking to ANI, CM Hemant said that the water was blocked during the construction of the university, which led to heavy flooding in the city. CM alleges that mountains have been cut to build a university. Apart from this, Hemant Biswa has described the design of the dome of the university gate as Mecca.
University of Science and Technology Meghalaya was founded in 2008 by Mehboob ul Haq. He is the chancellor of this university. Mehboob ul Haque is a resident of Karimganj district of Barak Valley, Assam and a Bengali Muslim. About 6 thousand students study in this university.
Talking to Indian Express on all these allegations, he said that the campus is a green campus, there is a water reserve here, we are planting a lot of trees. For this we will need water. If we have any deficiency we will remove it.
How did the university respond?
Just after the allegations against the university, the Union Ministry of Education released the NIRF Ranking 2024, USTM has been ranked among the top 200 universities in this ranking. Remember, this is the only private university in the North East to feature in this list. When the university’s name is being associated with ‘Flood Jihad’ and such an achievement has been achieved, the students and the administration should be rejoicing.
The university organized an event to celebrate his ranking, during which Haque said, “Sometimes it feels good to pour water in the eyes, right?”
Hearing this, the students present there started clapping. Addressing the students and staff from the university auditorium, Haq said, “I am far away from politics. I know I look like a religious Muslim but actually I stay away from all religious activities and only see the faces of the students. Students have built this university. I never thought that we would face such negative things during our journey.
How many types of jihad?
Jihad is an Arabic word meaning struggle or effort. In the Muslim religious book Qur’an, it is used to refer to the struggle to stop oneself from doing any wrong or injustice. This conflict can be both spiritual and physical. In India, the term has often been used in political forums. So far there have been jihads like Love Jihad, Food Jihad, UPSC and Land Jihad in India. Hemant Biswa has added Flood Jihad to this series.
