S Gopal Puri
Dharamshala
A press conference was held today at Kunal Hotel, Dharamshala, by the OBC, SC, ST Struggle Committee of Himachal Pradesh. Addressing the media, committee representative Saurabh Kaundal announced that in support of the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations, the three organizations representing SC, ST, and OBC communities will jointly organize a mass rally on February 28, 2026.
The rally will commence at Dari Mela Ground at 11 a.m. and proceed to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, where a memorandum will be submitted to the Governor through the DC.
Kaundal highlighted that caste-based discrimination continues to persist and is even increasing in society, despite repeated efforts to curb it. He recalled past incidents, including the tragic suicides of Rohith Vemula (Hyderabad University, 2016) and Dr. Payal Tadvi (Topiwala National Medical College, 2019), both victims of caste discrimination. Their families later petitioned the Supreme Court seeking justice and stronger measures against such bias.
During hearings, UGC data presented before the Supreme Court revealed a 118.4% rise in caste discrimination cases, shocking the bench. The Court observed that the 2012 regulations were insufficient and, in September 2025, directed UGC to frame stricter rules within eight weeks. These new rules were subsequently published in the Gazette of India on January 13, 2026.
However, Kaundal pointed out that a petition challenging these rules was filed on January 24, 2026, and during the hearing on January 29, the Supreme Court stayed their implementation, citing possible misuse. He termed this contradictory, as the Court had earlier demanded stronger rules but later halted them.
He further noted that while the 2012 regulations focused on SC and ST communities, the new rules also include OBCs, acknowledging that they too face discrimination. He cited alarming vacancy figures in central universities: 80% of OBC faculty posts, 83% of ST posts, and 64% of SC posts remain unfilled, showing that discrimination extends beyond students to teaching and non-teaching staff.
In the Himachal Pradesh context, Kaundal criticized the non-implementation of the 93rd Constitutional Amendment (2005, enforced nationally in 2006) in state higher education institutions, while the 103rd Amendment (2019, EWS quota) was implemented immediately. He questioned whether ignoring Article 15(5) provisions for OBCs while enforcing EWS reflects discriminatory intent.
The committee announced that the upcoming rally aims to end such discrimination and ensure the enforcement of UGC regulations. They appealed to the people of Himachal Pradesh to participate and make the rally a success.
