India
oi-Gaurav Sharma
Bareilly
city
magistrate
Alankar
Agnihotri
resigned
from
his
post
on
Monday,
citing
opposition
to
the
University
Grants
Commission’s
(UGC)
newly
notified
Promotion
of
Equity
in
Higher
Education
Institutions
Regulations,
2026.
Agnihotri’s
resignation
comes
amid
an
ongoing
debate
over
the
new
UGC
framework,
which
aims
to
curb
caste-based
discrimination
in
colleges
and
universities
across
the
country.
The
regulations
mandate
the
establishment
of
Equal
Opportunity
Centres,
Equity
Committees,
grievance
redressal
mechanisms
and
helplines
in
all
higher
education
institutions
to
address
complaints
related
to
discrimination
and
promote
inclusion
on
campuses.
Bareilly
city
magistrate
Alankar
Agnihotri
resigned
on
Monday
due
to
opposition
to
the
UGC’s
Promotion
of
Equity
in
Higher
Education
Institutions
Regulations,
2026,
while
Ayodhya
GST
deputy
commissioner
Prashant
Singh
resigned
on
Tuesday,
citing
emotional
distress
over
remarks
against
political
figures.
city
magistrate
Alankar
Agnihotri
resigns
The
rules
place
special
emphasis
on
protecting
students
from
Scheduled
Castes
(SC),
Scheduled
Tribes
(ST)
and
Other
Backward
Classes
(OBC).
They
also
require
representation
from
these
communities
in
committees
responsible
for
handling
complaints
and
monitoring
equity-related
initiatives.
However,
the
regulations
have
triggered
protests
from
students
belonging
to
forward
communities,
who
argue
that
the
framework
could
lead
to
bias
and
unfair
categorisation
within
educational
institutions.
Agnihotri
cited
his
disagreement
with
the
regulations
as
the
reason
for
stepping
down
from
his
administrative
position.
A
day
after
Agnihotri’s
resignation,
Ayodhya
GST
deputy
commissioner
Prashant
Singh
also
tendered
his
resignation
on
Tuesday.
In
his
resignation
letter,
Singh
said
remarks
made
by
religious
leader
Avimukteshwaranand
against
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi,
Union
Home
Minister
Amit
Shah
and
Uttar
Pradesh
Chief
Minister
Yogi
Adityanath
had
deeply
hurt
his
sentiments.
Singh
described
his
resignation
as
an
act
of
“rajkiya
dharma”
(political
duty),
stating
that,
as
a
government
employee,
he
felt
it
was
his
responsibility
to
protest
what
he
termed
as
insults
directed
at
the
Prime
Minister,
the
Chief
Minister
and
the
state
government.
Both
resignations
have
drawn
attention
amid
ongoing
political
and
social
debates
surrounding
education
policy,
governance
and
public
discourse
in
Uttar
Pradesh.
