Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh): Bageshwar Dham’s Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri has appealed the government to not divide Hindus over the new UGC Guidelines.
Speaking during a public gathering on Wednesday, he stressed that India should stand for equality and not division, referring to the revised UGC norms that aim to protect reserved category students from caste-based discrimination.
Referring to the ongoing discussion around the UGC rules, Dhirendra Shastri said that, "Bharat me ek prarthna karna chah rahe hain. Vartamaan samay me ek vishay bahut chal raha hai, UGC ko lekar. Asamanta Bharat me nahi honi chahiye, samaanta hi honi chahiye. Hum sab ek hain. Bharat me na koi agda ho, na koi pichda ho, sab Bharatiya ho.” (inequality should not exist in the country and only equality should prevail. He stated that there should be no division between forward and backward, and that all are Indians. Appealing to the government, he said people should be united and not divided).
During the gathering, the crowd raised slogans like “Hum sab Hindu ek hai”, echoing his message of unity.
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Read about UGC guidelines
The comments come at a time when the University Grants Commission (UGC) has introduced the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026. The guidelines aim to prevent caste-based discrimination in colleges and universities and to ensure equal opportunities in higher education.
Under the new rules, educational institutions are required to form Equal Opportunity Centres and Equity Committees to address complaints related to discrimination. The focus of the guidelines is on protecting students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), women, and persons with disabilities.
However, the new rules have triggered protests in several states. Many general category students have expressed concern, saying the guidelines could create unfair treatment against them. They argue that the rules may put pressure on general category students if a complaint is filed.
