UGC New Equity Regulations: The government announced new UGC regulations to curb caste-based discrimination faced by students from reserved categories in universities. As per the rules, all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) must form a committee on campus to address complaints related to caste discrimination and ensure equity across the institution. However, this move triggered protests from upper caste or General category students, who argued that no separate provisions have been made for them. Protesters at the UGC headquarters also alleged that the regulations could lead to an increase in complaints from reserved category students. The regulations and the protests against them have drawn responses from both the government. The All India Student Association (AISA) has also issued a statement on the same.
What Are UGC's New Equity Regulations?
Under the Equity Regulations, institutions are required to establish an Equal Opportunity Centre (EOC) which will handle discrimination-related complaints and work towards inclusion and support for disadvantaged groups in colleges and universities.
Why Were the UGC Regulations Implemented?
These regulations came following a Supreme Court order linked to a petition on the implementation of the 2012 UGC anti-discrimination rules. The petition was filed by the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi.
Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad, died by suicide in 2016, allegedly due to caste-based harassment. In 2019, Payal Tadvi, a resident doctor at Mumbai's Topiwala National Medical College and BYL Nair Hospital, also died by suicide, with allegations of casteist harassment by her seniors.
ALSO READ | 10 Years After Rohith Vemula's Death, UGC's Equity Commission Sparks Debate
Why Are There Protests Against UGC's Equity Regulations?
The protests are being led by the "Savarna Sena" outside the UGC headquarters. Shivam Singh, co-founder of the "Savarna Sena," said the group will call off the protests if the government assures that general category students will not be adversely affected.
The protests are mainly due to the following reasons:
- The protestors at the UGC headquarters have alleged that General category students or others, apart from reserved category candidates, can not raise their complaints, as no clear provision exists for them in the new regulations.
- They also claimed that the regulations may increase inequality instead of promoting equality, as they believe complaints from reserved categories could rise.
- The data shows that complaints related to caste discrimination in universities were around 173 during 2016-2017, but rose to over 350 in the 2023-2024 academic year, suggesting a rise in such cases.
All India Student Association on UGC Regulations
The All India Student Association (AISA) stated that the UGC regulations did not emerge in isolation, but are the result of years of struggle and repeated institutional failures to address caste-based discrimination in higher education.
AISA said that one of the key structural changes introduced is the formation of an Equity Committee to inquire into discrimination complaints, along with provisions for a 24 by 7 equity helpline, equity squads, and equity ambassadors.
They further mentioned that the regulations define discrimination in broad and abstract terms without listing specific acts or instances.
"Representation of SCs, STs, OBCs, and women in the Equity Committee, both among faculty and students, remains low, unclear, and inadequately defined. Further, the regulations define discrimination in broad and abstract terms without listing specific acts or instances. This ambiguity gives institutions excessive power to interpret discrimination subjectively, enabling them to evade accountability and continue caste bias under the guise of discretionary authority.
This concern becomes even more urgent in light of UGC's own compiled data, which shows that complaints of caste-based discrimination in universities and colleges rose by 118 per cent between 2019 and 2024. These incidents of caste-based violence are a result of a casteist system sustained by institutional and state complicity," the AISA statement said.
What Has the Government Said?
The government stated that a new provision for General category candidates will be added to the Equity Regulations so that their complaints and allegations can also be addressed.
Resignation of Bareilly City Magistrate
Bareilly City Magistrate Alankar Agnihotri resigned, saying that the UGC Equity Regulation policies, along with other government measures, could lead to increased caste-based unrest.
ALSO READ | Bareilly City Magistrate Resigns, Cites Disagreement With New UGC Policies
What Do the UGC Equity Regulations Implement?
The Equity Commission regulations mandate institutions to set up an Equal Opportunity Centre (EOC). The EOC will oversee the implementation of equity-related policies, promote diversity and inclusion on campus, and carry out related responsibilities. It will coordinate with civil society groups, local media, police and district administration, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), faculty members, staff, and parents.
Institutions are also required to ensure the inclusion of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), and women.