As UGC Row Deepens, Government To Present Facts To Avoid Confusion: Sources

The government will present facts to counter 'misinformation' being spread by the opposition over the University Grants Commission's new rules – the Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulation, meant to prevent caste-based discrimination on campus – top sources told NDTV Tuesday. Sources also said misuse of the rules 'will not be allowed, under any circumstances'.

The government is likely to clarify its position on the UGC's new rules, which came into effect on January 13 and which, reports indicate, have upset the so-called upper caste.

Sources also told NDTV the opposition is trying to 'escalate the issue', which now includes the resignation of the City Magistrate from Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly and that of a leader from the ruling BJP's youth wing, the Yuva Morcha, before Parliament's Budget session begins next week.

Both the district official, Alankar Agnihotri, and the BJP leader (as yet unnamed), warned the new rules will spread division rather than engender reform. Agnihotri called them a "black law", said they would spoil the academic environment, and should be withdrawn immediately.

READ | Bareilly City Magistrate Resigns Over New UGC Policies

Tension over the rules ratcheted up after Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, came under fire for publicly avoiding questions on the subject. Media reports said Rai, who was at an event in Bihar, simply began chanting 'Har Har, Mahadev' when reporters asked questions.

The Union Education Minister has also avoided giving a direct response; he would only say the government is open to discussions on the topic and that the rules are meant to promote equity.

What are the new UGC rules?

The University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, prescribe a structured framework for grievance redressal, inclusion, and support for disadvantaged groups across universities and colleges.

NDTV Explains | New Equity Regulations For Higher Education Institutions

The regulations follow directions from the Supreme Court, which had asked the UGC to submit updated rules while hearing a petition – filed by the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi –related to the implementation of the 2012 UGC anti-discrimination regulations.

Vemula, a PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad, died by suicide in 2016, allegedly after facing caste-based harassment. In 2019, 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 seniors.

The new framework aims to put in place institutional mechanisms to prevent discrimination and ensure timely redressal within higher education campuses.

What do critics say?

However, critics have warned that under this new rule, students of the general category have been labelled as 'criminals'. Agnihotri, for example, alleged they could lead to atrocities against Brahmins. The provisions were discriminatory and could lead to social unrest, he said

State Congress president Ajay Rai called the resignation a serious issue.

In an X post in Hindi, Rai wrote, "The lathi charge on Shankaracharya (Avimukteshwaranand) and his disciples, and the administrative pressure -- all this shows that under the BJP rule, the Constitution, faith and freedom of expression are all under threat. The truth must come out. The state will be governed by the Constitution, not by fear."

बरेली के सिटी मजिस्ट्रेट द्वारा कथित इस्तीफ़ा बेहद गंभीर संकेत है।

शंकराचार्य व उनके शिष्यों पर लाठीचार्ज और प्रशासनिक दबाव—यह सब दर्शाता है कि भाजपा शासन में संविधान, आस्था और अभिव्यक्ति तीनों असुरक्षित हैं।

सच्चाई सामने आनी चाहिए।

प्रदेश को डर से नहीं, संविधान से चलाया… pic.twitter.com/drLeY2jxpF

— Ajay Rai🇮🇳 (@kashikirai) January 26, 2026

Samajwadi Party leader and former Bareilly MP Praveen Singh Aron also responded.

"The circumstances that led a senior PCS officer to resign from his hard-earned and prestigious government service and position draw attention to the fact that this issue is not about caste or religion, but about the dignity of administrative officers and the Constitution," he said in a statement.

With input from agencies