Varanasi: In a show of strength, hundreds of students carried out a march under the banner of SC/ST/OBC Ekta Manch at Banaras Hindu University on Tuesday afternoon, demanding immediate implementation of the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026.

The participants also staged a sit-in at the Mahila Mahavidyalaya gate, where their leader Shivam Sonkar said that their stir will continue until their demand for immediate implementation of this regulation is met.

The atmosphere on the campus turned tense when a large number of students gathered near the Vishwanath Temple, BHU. It brought the officials of the varsity proctorial board on their toes, and a heavy police force and PAC were called onto the campus. Chanting slogans in support of the UGC regulation, the students from SC, ST and OBC categories marched towards BHU’s Lanka gate via the VC lodge and Bharat Kala Bhawan.On reaching the Mahila Mahavidyalaya crossing, they staged a sit-in near the Saraswati statue and submitted their charter of demands to the university administration.

This letter contained demands including the immediate formation and notification of the equal opportunity centre (EOC) in the university in accordance with the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026; the formation of an equity committee ensuring representation as per rules, which must include SC, ST, OBC, women and disabled representatives; the public display of the EOC, equity committee, complaint procedure, timeline and contact details on the university website; mandatory orientation/sensitisation programmes on caste discrimination, micro-aggression and constitutional values for faculty members, officers and staff; and reports to be sent to the UGC at university level to be prepared transparently and submitted on time.

The speakers highlighted structural caste discrimination prevalent in higher education institutions, mentioning that for decades, students, researchers, teachers and staff from SC, ST and OBC categories faced humiliation, exclusion, micro-aggression and mental harassment in processes such as admission, evaluation, research, fellowship, hostel, appointment and promotion. Citing the Thorat Committee Report (2007) and the IIT-Delhi study (2019), the students said that subtle discrimination under the guise of so-called ‘merit’ and ‘reserved category’ was linked to students’ mental health, dropout and suicide incidents.

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