Protests have been brewing among the BJP leaders and upper-caste students over the new UGC rules, which stipulate the setting up of special panels, helplines, and monitoring teams to handle complaints, especially from the SC, ST, and OBC students.
According to protestors, the new rules notified by the UGC on January 13 -- the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026 -- could lead to discrimination against them.
The BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh were at the forefront of the protest, with 11 party officials resigning from the party in protest against the new UGC regulations. Many party workers have also quit, calling the new UGC rules “black laws”. They claim the rules were introduced in the name of bringing equality in higher education, but were against the upper-caste society.
BJP Kisan Morcha Mandal president Shyam Sundar Tripathi, who resigned from his post in protest against the UGC law, termed the law “extremely harmful and divisive” for society. In his resignation letter, Tripathi said the Indian government's support for such a bill was contrary to his self-respect and ideology.
VIDEO | Advocate & Social Activist Vineet Jindal speaking on the petition he filed in Supreme Court challenging the validity of UGC’s caste discrimination framework, says, "We have certain objections with the new rules brought by the UGC. Sections 12 and 23 of the UGC Act state… pic.twitter.com/hbMTL3KWNP
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Several BJP leaders in Rae Bareli have reportedly sent bangles to upper-caste MPs and MLAs to register their protest. Farmer leader Ramesh Bahadur Singh claimed that upper caste leaders are not opposing the UGC regulations due to their servitude to the BJP. “The public voted for these leaders to become MLAs and ministers, but when the public began to protest the UGC regulations, they refused to speak out. Therefore, they are being sent bangles. Such leaders should focus on housekeeping and give women a chance to enter politics,” Singh claimed.
In Agra, BJP leader Jagdish Pachauri wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in blood against the UGC rules.
Meanwhile, a senior BJP leader has claimed that the government is planning to revoke the norm issued by the UGC. Harish Srivastava, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Uttar Pradesh unit, told ABP News that the government could reconsider it. “While people may have differences of opinion about a decision, the government's decisions are often based on reasons. When differing opinions are raised, the government reconsiders those decisions and, after due consideration of various perspectives, makes further decisions accordingly. I believe the government will continue to consider this," he added.
Students protest
Students from upper caste communities called for a protest outside the University Grants Commission headquarters in Delhi on Tuesday, saying that the new regulations issued by the commission could lead to chaos on campuses.
Alokit Tripathi, a PhD student from Delhi University, said that the new rules will create complete chaos in colleges as the burden of proof will now be completely shifted onto the accused, and there were no safeguards for wrongly accused students. "The new regulations are draconian in nature. The definition of victim is already predetermined. The victim can be anyone on the campus," Tripathi said.
"With the proposed Equity squads, it will be akin to living under constant surveillance inside the campus," he said, adding that students of various Delhi colleges are likely to join the protest.
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry is likely to clarify its position soon amid controversy over the UGC’s new anti-discrimination regulations.
