'None will be harassed': Dharmendra Pradhan breaks silence as UGC rules trigger student protests

“I want to humbly assure everyone that no one will be harassed and there will be no discrimination. No one will have the right to misuse the rules. The central and state governments, along with the UGC, will bear this responsibility,” Pradhan said.

He further stressed that the new framework would operate strictly within constitutional limits. “The new system will be in the ambit of the Constitution,” the minister added.

The assurances come amid widespread student protests across several universities, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, against the Modi government’s latest UGC regulations designed to address discrimination faced by students from reserved categories, media reports said.

In a rare display of large-scale dissent against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, protesters gathered outside the University Grants Commission headquarters in New Delhi, demanding clarity on the provisions and amendments to the regulations.

Demonstrations were also reported from several cities in Rajasthan, including Jaipur.

Social media visuals showed protesters burning effigies of the Prime Minister during some of the demonstrations.

The protesters allege that certain provisions of the regulations are biased in favour of reserved categories and could increase the risk of false cases against students from the general category.

They argue that the rules lack adequate safeguards and may disadvantage general category students.

A key point of contention is the absence of explicit representation for general category students in the proposed equity committees, which will be mandatory across all UGC-recognised higher education institutions.

The regulations are legally binding on central, state, private and deemed universities.