Protests against the new University Grants Commission regulations for higher educational institutions are increasing. On Tuesday, students belonging to general category staged protests outside the UGC head office and also in Lucknow, Patna, Rae Bareli, Gorakhpur,Muzaffarpur, Jaipur and other cities of North India.
General category students fear, the new regulations could be used against them in any conflict with students belonging to SC/ST or Other Backward Classes. These students say that they do not support injustice towards any caste or commmunity, but if any excess is committed against SC, ST or OBC students. the process of law must be transparent.
The protesters say the new UGC regulations are meant to corner students belonging to general category and these could be used as a tool against them. Even a minor quarrel with a student belonging to SC, ST or OBC could be misused for taking action against general category students. There is no provision for taking action against those who lodge fake complaints, they say.
UGC chairman Vineet Joshi met the representatives of Savarna Sena. This outfit has given 15 days’ ultimatum for change in regulations, otherwise it has threatened to launch a nationwide movement.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan pointed out that the new UGC regulations have been prepared in view of the Supreme Court directive. He says, government is aware about the concerns of general category students, but there is nothing to fear about misuse.
Pradhan may be assuring that the UGC regulations would not be allowed to be misused, but mere assurance will not do. The matter has already taken political overtones and some bureaucrats in Uttar Pradesh have resigned on this issue.
The Deputy Commissioner for GST in Ayodhya resigned supporting the goverment’s move, while a day before, the city magistrate of Bareilly Alankar Agnihotri resigned from service while opposing the UGC Act.
On merits, one can say that there are possibilities of misuse of the new UGC regulations. Mere verbal assurance that government would not allow injustice to any student will not do.
Brahmins and Rajputs do not constitute a big chunk of voters and they are often ignored. This is an electoral compulsion for political parties. Samajwadi Party, Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party are fanning caste tension on this issue with an eye on causing damage to BJP.
In the BJP, there are several Brahmin community leaders who had been complaining since long that they are being ignored. These leaders have now got a fresh handle. They will surely try to create pressure inside the party. Hence this matter cannot be allowed to linger on.
Everybody wants an equitable society where every community must get equal opportunities. Communities and castes which have faced injustice over centuries must also be taken care of. But this does not mean that new paths of injustice and harassment are opened. One needs to bear this in mind, otherwise this can create a fresh problem.
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