LUCKNOW: Protests against the new UGC norms escalated across Uttar Pradesh, drawing students, farmers and BJP leaders onto the streets and triggering resignations within the ruling party. Senior BJP leader and former governor Kalraj Mishra also opposed the regulations, urging the government to withdraw them.
The agitation has put the BJP in a precarious position in the state, with several lower and middle-rung leaders quitting the party over the issue, reflecting growing internal dissent as opposition to the norms intensifies.
Students belonging to the general category staged protests in several districts, including Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Deoria, Fatehpur, Varanasi, Firozabad and Pilibhit.
In Pilibhit, protesting youth got their heads tonsured, tied black bands on their arms and raised slogans against the rules.
While in Deoria and Meerut, demonstrations escalated into heated arguments between protesters and the police. In Ghaziabad, protesters demonstrated by wearing shrouds and chains, symbolising what they described as the “death” of their rights.
In Varanasi, the Rashtriya Hindu Dal organisation sent bangles to upper-caste Members of Parliament, accusing them of remaining silent on the UGC Act. The group also wrote a letter to the government in blood, demanding that the regulations be withdrawn.
The University Grants Commission notified the new rules on January 13 as the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026. The regulations direct colleges and universities to set up special committees, helplines and monitoring teams to prevent caste-based discrimination on campuses. These teams will specifically address complaints from SC, ST and OBC students. The government said the changes were aimed at ensuring fairness, equity and accountability in higher education institutions.
However, the regulations are facing strong opposition, with critics arguing that upper-caste students are being treated as “natural offenders”. Students from the general category fear that the new rules could promote discrimination against them within college and university campuses, potentially leading to unrest and disorder in higher education institutions.
On the second consecutive day of protests against the new UGC rules in Varanasi, upper-caste students took to the streets carrying posters reading “UGC Go Back” and “Revoke the Black Law”. They raised slogans across the campus, expressing opposition to the recently notified regulations in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Students of Kashi Vidyapeeth University staged a protest against the new regulations and marched to the Pant Administrative Building, briefly forcing its closure. During the protest, students raised slogans outside the UGC unit and the Vice-Chancellor’s office, chanting “UGC Go Back” and “Har Har Mahadev”, creating a tense atmosphere on campus for a short period.
Teachers have also expressed reservations over the issue. Dr Vikas Sharma, brother of poet Kumar Vishwas and head of the English department at Meerut University, said the new UGC rules were divisive in nature. “While earlier policies broke down certain caste barriers, these rules are now creating new divisions. I fear a situation similar to what arose during the implementation of the Mandal Commission may repeat,” he said.
The Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Mahasabha staged a protest in Bulandshahr, submitting a memorandum to the district magistrate addressed to the Prime Minister. In Chandauli, the district adjacent to Varanasi, over 400 protesters staged a demonstration against the UGC rules, raising slogans against the UGC and the government.
Meanwhile, several BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh resigned from their posts, expressing strong opposition to the new regulations, which they described as harmful to upper-caste students.
Raju Pandit, district vice-president of BJP Yuva Morcha (Noida Metropolitan), resigned from his position, saying a law like the UGC regulations was disastrous for the future of children of upper castes and must be withdrawn. He said there was widespread anger against the rules among youth and social organisations across the country.
In Raebareli, Shyam Sundar Tripathi, mandal president (Salon block) of BJP Kisan Morcha, also resigned from his post. Explaining his decision, he said he was deeply upset by what he termed a “black law” introduced by the UGC against upper-caste children.
BJP leader Vikas Kumar Dubey from Prayagraj has also tendered his resignation. In Varanasi, BJP booth president Vikas Mishra resigned in protest against the UGC rules and informed state BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary through a formal letter.
Ayodhya BJP Yuva Morcha district president Raghvendra Pratap Singh also resigned from his post. Similarly, a member of the BJP Yuva Morcha district executive committee in Varanasi stepped down.
Poet Anamika Jain Amber, who gained popularity with the phrase “UP mein Baba”, also joined the protest. She said the situation should not reach a point where being from the upper caste is treated as a crime.