On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, students in Patna staged a massive protest demanding the implementation of the new University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations and a 65% reservation quota. The demonstration began near Gate No. 10 of Gandhi Maidan and was intended to reach the Raj Bhavan. However, police authorities used force and a lathi-charge at Dak Bungalow Chowk to stop the crowd, leading to several students being detained in Vajra vehicles.
Key Details of the Patna Student Protest
| Date | March 18, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Location | Patna (Gandhi Maidan to Raj Bhavan) |
| Participating Groups | AISA, Bhim Sena, and All India Forum for Equity | Key Demands | 65% Reservation and UGC Equity Regulations 2026 |
| Action Taken | Police Lathi-charge and Detentions |
What are the students demanding from the government?
The protesting students, primarily from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Class (OBC) communities, are focused on the immediate enforcement of the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026. These regulations aim to replace the 2012 framework with stricter measures to prevent caste-based discrimination in colleges. The students stated that they would no longer tolerate humiliation in educational institutions and demanded the following:
- Implementation of a 65% reservation quota for SC, ST, EBC, and OBC categories in higher education.
- Lifting the Supreme Court’s stay on the new UGC regulations.
- Introduction of reservation policies in the private sector and a comprehensive caste census.
- Strict compliance with existing UGC norms by all educational institutions.
Status of the UGC Regulations 2026
The University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, were designed to provide legal protection to OBC students and mandate Equal Opportunity Centres in all universities. However, the Supreme Court stayed these regulations in early 2026, citing potential misuse and ambiguities in the text. Students argue that this stay delays justice and equity for marginalized communities. During the protest, leaders like Divya Gautam from CPI(ML) joined the students, emphasizing that the future of marginalized youth depends on these structural changes.
