New Delhi: Protests against the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) draft Equity Regulations, 2026, intensified students from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), under the banner of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), took to the streets and campus corridors, alleging deepening caste-based discrimination in higher education.
Demonstrations were held at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where students raised slogans against “Brahmanism” and “Manuvad”, arguing that structural inequities continue to marginalise students from oppressed communities. Similar slogans appeared on campus walls, reflecting the simmering anger among sections of the student body. The protests were led by JNU Students’ Union General Secretary Sunil Yadav, who said the regulations, instead of ensuring equity, risk institutionalising injustice.
Student groups pointed to what they described as an irony: a university named after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru a symbol of constitutionalism and social justice witnessing repeated allegations of caste discrimination. Protesters said symbolic commitments to equality have failed to translate into accountability on the ground.
At the heart of the agitation is the long-pending demand for the implementation of the Rohith Act, proposed in the wake of research scholar Rohith Vemula’s death in 2016. The Act seeks to make institutional discrimination a punishable offence and establish independent grievance redressal mechanisms in universities.
Students said UGC’s equity regulations lack enforceable safeguards, with internal committees often failing to act, leaving vulnerable scholars isolated. Critics say without statutory backing, the rules are ineffective, sparking protests and renewed scrutiny of caste and accountability in elite universities.