SFI alleges police repression during protest march

The Students Federation of India (SFI) on Thursday alleged “brutal police repression” against students who organised a protest march in Delhi demanding the implementation of equity regulations in higher education and the enactment of the Rohith Act to address caste based discrimination in universities.The protest march was held to press the Ministry of Education to take political responsibility for implementing the UGC Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026, and to move towards a comprehensive law in the form of the Rohith Act. The organisation claimed that soon after the march, Delhi Police detained several protesting students in what it described as an attempt to suppress democratic dissent.Among those detained were Adarsh M. Saji, All India President of SFI, Aishe Ghosh, All India Joint Secretary, and Sooraj Elamon, SFI Delhi State President, along with multiple student activists. SFI condemned the detentions, calling them unlawful and an example of the state responding to demands for social justice with repression rather than accountability.

The protest was organised in the context of a recent UGC report that acknowledged an alarming rise in caste discrimination in higher education institutions. SFI stated that the issue has been highlighted repeatedly by students from Dalit, Adivasi, OBC, PwD, women and other marginalised communities, particularly after the institutional death of research scholar Rohith Vemula. The organisation accused the Ministry of Education of remaining silent and passive, allowing pressure from reactionary groups to dilute or derail equity measures.

Addressing the gathering before his detention, Adarsh M. Saji said, “The UGC Equity Regulations are not a favour granted by the government but the result of sustained struggles by students and oppressed communities after Rohith Vemula’s institutional murder. The Ministry of Education must implement and strengthen these regulations instead of bending before casteist narratives. Detaining students demanding justice only exposes the authoritarian character of the state.”

SFI reiterated its demand that the UGC equity regulations be named after Rohith Vemula, stating that this would acknowledge the historical injustice that led to their formulation and affirm institutional accountability.

The student organisation further argued that while the UGC regulations are a limited first step, they cannot replace the Rohith Act. According to SFI, the proposed law is necessary to establish an independent statutory mechanism with majority representation from marginalised communities, define criminal acts such as social boycott and abetment to suicide, fix liability on perpetrators and negligent administrators, reverse the burden of proof on institutions, and create a national monitoring body with suo moto powers.

SFI also pointed to incidents across campuses including JNU, DU, JMI, AUD and IIT Delhi, alleging a pattern of targeted harassment based on social identity. The organisation demanded the immediate release of all detained students and warned that it would intensify protests across campuses and on the streets until equity in higher education becomes a guaranteed right rather than a policy promise.