‘Hindu ekta khatre mein’: How TV news rewrote UGC’s equity norms

“Don’t savarna students face bias too?”

“Is their future now under threat?”

“Why is there no representation for them on these committees?”

“Why are colleges being turned into caste battlefields?”

This week, such questions became Hindi prime time’s newest rallying cry. 

The trigger was a now-stayed January 13 notification by the UGC introducing the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, aimed to address discrimination on campuses. Unlike the largely advisory 2012 norms, the new guidelines created an enforcement mechanism to address discrimination on campuses.

The norms were not beyond critique though. As an Indian Express editorial noted, “For the regulations to succeed, checks and balances and safeguards against misuse, and a commitment to due process, will be critical.”

However, on television, the policy itself barely survived first contact. Across channels, the conversation appeared to skip past how caste discrimination operates inside universities, what the regulations contain, or why they were proposed. The mood was familiar: “Hindu khatre mein hai,” reframed with phrases like “Savarna virodhi toolkit” and “Hindu ekta khatre mein hai.” 

What emerged was a single, repeated fear: false cases, as seen with the SC/ST Act. Even when the numbers point to a more measured story. NCRB 2023 data show that under the SC/ST Act, 70,643 cases involving Scheduled Castes were registered for investigation, of which 6,508 – or 9.21 percent – ended as false. For Scheduled Tribes, 14,815 cases were registered, with 1,366 – or roughly 9 percent – closing as false.

Another refrain dominated: if discrimination can happen to anyone, why name SC, ST and OBC communities at all? What went largely unacknowledged was context. Caste discrimination in India is not symmetrical. But these realities were replaced with hypotheticals.

The result was less policy scrutiny and more identity mobilisation.

News18 India: Desh Nahin Jhukne Denge

On his show, Aman Chopra opened with a case of an allegedly false case of rape and the SC/ST Act.

Tickers framed the issue bluntly: “pichdo ki hit vs savarna virodhi toolkit” and “UGC niyam se Hindu ekta khatre me.” The regulations were described as tools to trap upper caste students.

At one point, Chopra told RJD spokesperson Priyanka Bharti he feared that asking tough questions might invite an SC/ST case against him – minimising the gravity of atrocities legislation. “Mujhe to lag raha hai ki mai aapse zyada sakht sawaal pooch lunga aap mere pe SC/ST case na laga de.”

When Bharti spoke about everyday caste practices, Chopra insisted savarnas face “worse,” without explaining how.

He also claimed the 10-member equity committee ignored upper caste students. The notification, however, mandates representation for SCs, STs, women, OBCs and persons with disabilities – an inclusion requirement, not an exclusionary one, considering skewed representation on campuses.

Times Now Navbharat: Sawaal Public Ka

Navika Kumar framed the rules as divisive and potentially anti-upper caste.

“Campus mein Thakur Pandit par dangal? Kya UGC ka naya niyam Hinduo ko jaatiyon mein baantne wala hai?” (A wrestling match between Thakurs and Pandits on campus? Is the UGC's new rule going to divide Hindus along caste lines?)

She floated a hypothetical: if a student from an SC, ST or OBC background proposes to an upper-caste woman and she refuses, could that be interpreted as caste bias? From there, the argument shifted to demography – if the unreserved category is only 15 percent, is it now the minority needing protection? “Mera sawaal bas itna hai ki agar 85 percent baaki jaatiyon ke hain aur sirf 15 percent general category ya uchch jaati hain, to phir ye to minority ho gaye. Protection to inhein chahiye.”

Ticker: “kya naye niyam se insaaf kam saazish zyada?” (Will the new rules lead to less justice and more conspiracy?)

ABP News: Mahadangal

Chitra Tripathi’s show’s thumbnail set the tone: “Sabka Saath, Swarn par Aaghat”.

Tickers asked:

“Agar jaati par ladenge thakur pandit hi fasenge?”

“Campus me padhenge ya jaati par jang karenge”.

The debate centred on the fear that upper caste students could be targeted through false complaints and that discrimination had been reduced to identity labels.

“The committee, which will not have a single upper-caste member, will have to take action against the accused student within 24 hours. And if a student from these categories files a false complaint, they will not be punished. This is why there is widespread protest across the country. Because, in this new rule, the caste of the victim and the accused has been predetermined. The victim will always be from the SC, ST, and OBC communities, while the perpetrator will always be from the upper castes. In other words, these guidelines label the accused and the victim based solely on their birth,” she said.

Times Now: News Ki Pathshala

Sushant Sinha’s segment carried a different anxiety: electoral. Invoking “Hindu unity,” he asked: “‘Ek hai toh safe hai’ ke naare ke baad bhi Hindus ko baantne ka aarop kyun lag raha hai? Kya PM Modi UGC ke naye rules mein badlav karenge?” (Despite the slogan "United we are safe," why are there still accusations of dividing Hindus? Will Prime Minister Modi make changes to the new UGC rules?)

Then came an unusually direct reminder to the governing party: “Agar kisi ko yaad nahi hai, toh yaad rehna chahiye ki general category apna kaleja nikaal ke BJP ko vote deti hai.” (In case anyone has forgotten, it should be remembered that the general category voters wholeheartedly support and vote for the BJP.)

He went further: “Jo kaam Congress ne Muslim votes ke liye kiya tha, kya BJP wahi kaam ab OBC, SC, ST votes ke liye kar rahi hai?” (Is the BJP now doing for OBC, SC, and ST votes what the Congress party did for Muslim votes?) 

It sounded less like journalism and more like a message to the BJP’s base.

News18: Goonj

Rubika Liyaquat’s panel, featuring Ajeet Bharti, Anand Ranganathan, and others, tilted quickly from policy to spectacle.

Notably, Bharti had recently gone viral for remarks calling for violence against Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. 

Meanwhile, on the show, Rubika focused on whether caste slurs against upper castes count as discrimination. “Agar koi Brahmin ko gaali deta hai, toh kya woh galat nahi hai? Agar koi ‘joote chaar maarne’ ki baat karta hai, toh kya woh galat nahi hai?” (If someone insults a Brahmin, isn’t that wrong? If someone talks about ‘beating someone up,’ isn’t that wrong?)

At one point, the discussion slipped into crude jokes when a panelist said, “Moti baat samjhiye, ek line mein raho aur political gotiyan sekte raho.” Rubika was quick to interrupt, “Gotiyan thodi sekte hain, rotiyan sekte hain.” Rotiyan sekna is an idiom that means to exploit a situation. Gotiyan literally means marbles, but is Hindi slang for testicles.

Aaj Tak: Dangal

Anjana Om Kashyap’s debate turned personal when RJD’s Kanchana Yadav cited a Caravan report quoting Anjana’s own views on reservation:

“As a journalist, I am not too sure if I want to put forth my views on all this, because then I will be judged as biased…Personally, I am anti-reservations. I think reservations are the greatest injustice…My father was Dr Omprakash Tiwari. We are Bhumihars. My husband is a Brahmin… that upbringing stays with you.”

Kanchana Yadav was removed from the show.

The UGC told the Supreme Court that complaints of caste-based discrimination on campuses rose by nearly 118 percent between 2019-20 and 2023-24 – a sharp spike that points to a worrying pattern and, in its view, the need for stricter regulations.

But on January 26, Anjana looked at the data differently. She argued that out of crores of reserved category students, only about 0.18 percent had filed formal complaints of discrimination.

After drawing this questionable comparison, Anjana said:

“Caste discrimination is a very serious problem. There should be strict punishment if allegations are proven true. But the rate of complaints in educational institutions is so negligible that, on this basis, it is wrong to treat general category students, teachers, and staff as exploiters. That is why these new rules, which claim to bring equality, could become a toolkit for caste-based vendetta on campuses. This is also why anger among the general category is erupting against the central government over the UGC’s new regulations.”

She then stressed the same fallacy about zero representation of the unreserved castes in the committees. “The UGC is framing rules that could foster a mindset that deepens discrimination and hostility among students of different castes. What is needed today is the formation of committees with representation from everyone. If there are members from other castes, then the general category should also be represented. At the same time, there should be action against those who file complaints with malicious intent.”

Amid mounting protests by certain sections, the norms have now been stayed by the Supreme Court. The court was hearing a batch of petitions and it will next hear the matter on March 19. Campuses, meanwhile, will continue to follow the 2012 norms.

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