UGC row deepens: Bureaucrat quits, BJP leader resigns, minister evades media
The UGC controversy in India has intensified over new equity regulations in higher education, prompting resignations and political backlash. Protests from upper-caste groups claim the rules promote discrimination against them.
The University Grants Commission notified the “Promotion of Equity in Higher Educational Institutions Regulations, 2026” on January 15, 2026, following Supreme Court directions from cases like Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi. These rules extend anti-discrimination protections to OBCs alongside SC/ST, mandating equity committees with powers for quick action, fines, expulsions, and funding halts. Critics, including Karni Sena and Brahmin groups, call it a “black law” prone to misuse against general-category students and faculty.
A Bareilly city magistrate in Uttar Pradesh resigned, protesting the UGC rules and a related Shankaracharya incident in Prayagraj as anti-Brahmin. BJP Yuva Morcha vice president Raju Pandit in Noida quit his post, labeling the policy unjust to upper-caste children amid ongoing protests. These moves highlight rare dissent from bureaucracy and ruling party ranks.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai faced criticism in Hajipur, Bihar, for dodging media questions on the UGC row by chanting religious slogans instead. This evasion has fueled accusations of government avoidance amid nationwide outrage.
Protests have spread across states, with upper-caste outfits like Savarna Samaj Coordination Committee rallying in Jaipur and figures like Yati Narasimhanand planning hunger strikes (prevented by police). Supporters view it as social justice reform, but it risks deepening caste divides in campuses.
