Why Are Upper Caste Students Protesting Against The UGC New Regulations?
The UGC New regulations have brought resentment among the upper caste, and students have demanded that the commission roll back the newly formed rules. Hundreds of students have taken to the streets in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow, and several other places to oppose the UGC’s new rules.
However, amid the uproar against the UGC’s new rules, the education minister Dharmedra Pradhan has ensured that there will be no discrimination and no one can misuse the law.
Recently, the University Grant Commission (UGC) introduced new Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations to curb caste-based discrimination on campuses. The rules were formed despite India having robust and sufficient mechanisms to stop the caste-based discrimination on campuses.
Most central universities have Equal Opportunity Cells, anti-ragging committees, internal complaints committees, and grievance portals mandated by existing UGC guidelines. Then, why and how the new UGC 2026 Regulations were needed and different from the previous regulations.
Notably, the UGC Regulations do not form new anti-discrimination rights, but what they do is to convert the existing norms into uniform, enforceable regulatory obligations for higher education institutions, mendating the establishment of Equal Opportunity Centres, equity committees, formal grievances, redressal mechanism and compliance reporting to UGC.
Here, the main clause is the enforcement and also students from upper caste are concerned about the fake cases charged against students. Whereas, the faculties are concerned about the regular report and other strutrual aspects of the provisions under the UGC regulations. Some, professors are welcoming the move concidering the rise of caste-based reported cases in higher educational institutions.
As per the reported data shown by India Today, caste based discrimination is a reality in today’s world where over 1,160 cases were reported in the last 5 years.
