UGC's New Equity Rules Spark Campus Discrimination Debate A Decade After Rohith Vemula's Death

• Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad, died by suicide in 2016, sparking a national debate on caste discrimination in higher education.
• The University Grants Commission (UGC) recently notified new equity regulations, reigniting discussions on campus discrimination and student welfare.
• Previous safeguards from 2012 proved insufficient, with continued reports of alleged discrimination and student suicides, including Darshan Solanki at IIT Bombay.
• The new 2026 regulations expand the definition of discrimination and mandate Equal Opportunity Centres and Equity Committees in all higher education institutions.
• The legally binding rules have drawn both criticism for vagueness and support as a necessary step to address a decade-long struggle against discrimination.

Why It Matters: UGC's new equity rules aim to combat campus discrimination, reflecting a decade-long struggle since Rohith Vemula's death.