UGC's (in) equity bill: Campuses can't be the fiefdom of caste pacification

 Now, campuses are full of Dalit, Bahujan, and Adivasi (DBA) students. They are almost in charge of the big schools of higher education. Many of them are second and third-generation learners in their families who have entered university thanks to reservations and quotas. Today, the so-called historically oppressed social, educational, and economic status are only talked about in books and lectures. They have enough social connections and professional networks to influence the academic curriculum. Because they are treated specially by the system, they do not feel the  need to compete in the tough competition. Their counterparts from the general category, who have grown up facing tough competition and hard work, are able to move up more easily among their peers.

This unfair advantage affects them at many levels — from admissions, to hostel room allocation, to giving DBA students extra marks in practical and  viva voce exams to avoid future trouble. It also includes  deliberately admitting reserved-quota students into general category seats during admissions, hiring faculty based on law merit and giving them easy administrative jobs. This unfair treatment can lead to fear, humiliation, frustration, abuse, and in many cases, 'depression' or systematic murder' disguised  as suicides.

The whole nation talks about the sad deaths of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi, although their caste categories are not clear. But no one talks about  the suicides of general category students. Political groups, activists, NGOs, etc., demand a strong legal and constitutional system to protect the rights, careers, and dignity of DBA students. But this concern for the general category students and teachers is missing. Instead, they are treated as guilty in political debates and rallies. Jawahar Lal University (JNU) and many other universities are well-known examples of abuse against  the general category.

Higher education institutions do not have a secular system to tackle caste-related issues and their harmful effects on campus life. General category students and faculty are the victims of this lack of system.

Instead of solving the real issue, the University Grants Commission (UGC) introduced the controversial Equity Regulations Bill, replacing the 2012 setup, claiming it was a major step towards equality. On the contrary, it  was clearly biased against the general category (GC). General category students and teachers are treated as guilty from the start. There is no protection for them against harassment or victimisation by reserved category students and faculty. Also, there is no punishment for DBA students who file false complaints.

Because of this, the UGC's rules have faced big protests from the GC, who rightly argue that they will deepen caste divisions and be used to make false complaints against GC students and teachers. Regulation 3(1)(c), which only recognizes caste-based bias as discrimination against DBA groups, has been a major point of dispute. The GC has effectively been made a guilty party by this regulation.

This opposition is not unfounded, seeing the misuse of the 'Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989' by the reserved category. In the current case, the Supreme Court, led by learned CJI Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, has stopped the UGC's equity regulations, calling them 'vague' and 'too broad'. It is a big contradiction that it was the Supreme Court that told the government to make a 'strong and robust mechanism' to deal with caste discrimination, which led to the drafting of a discriminatory law against the GC.

The comments on the UGC regulations by CJI are noteworthy - "We want a casteless society; Do you want to take the country back to the old days?' These guidelines were framed only keeping section in mind." He further commented," Blaming Brahmins for the entire caste system? Did Brahmins create caste divisions in Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains? If Brahmin caste is such a big issue, renounce your caste today! Who is stopping you?" "Even after becoming an IAS, IPS, CJI, President or Prime Minister, if someone wants to think of themselves as 'oppressed", That's not the fault of Brahmins, it's their own mindset."  

The government has formed several committees, like Sukhadeo Thorat (2007) and Bhalchandra Mungekar, who have failed to make secular and equal recommendations. Instead, their recommendations have deepened  caste division. There is no need for a new law because the 'Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989' is powerful enough to handle these issues. It is a very strong tool. However, it is being misused to oppress the general category and claim compensation.

This 1989 act is very strong in dealing with the much-hyped issue of institutional neglect and unfair social discrimination that DBA members face. The claim of neglect and discrimination is false. What about  the abuse and threat of annihilation by DBA and left-wing students against general category students? In universities like JNU, Ashoka, and Hyderabad, such cases are common. There is no protection for general category students. They also face many forms of discrimination and  oppression, with no law to protect them.

It is very important to address the legal and institutional issues that the UGC equity regulations were against. The resistance to these regulations shows that the blame placed on general category students and faculty is baseless and a creation of imagination. It is now time to acknowledge the emptiness of this blame.

Reservation policies have created a powerful group of DBA students on campuses, allowing them to influence authorities in their favor. These new  elites have pushed  the poor and marginalized to the  edge. Any effort to increase the presence of DBA members is taken over by these new elites. This is a new threat to the challenge of removing caste. Moreover, too many caste benefits affect merit, efficiency, and national unity.

On one hand, universities are places of knowledge and learning. Also, they are tools of social change. Caste benefits and provisions deny equality and social inclusion. It is not a political obligation but a moral duty to bring in casteless and secular rules. One important fact to remember is that the theory of atrocities against DBA people is fake, similar to the Aryan invasion theory.