Protection or policing: The unintended dilemma concerning UGC’s equity rules

If universities were buildings, equity would not be the security camera at the gate, but the air inside, invisible, natural, relational, and shared.

- GEETANJALI ATRI& TUSHAR V SHARMA

The University Grants Commission (UGC) new Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026, attempts to convert the concern over this issue into an actual form: Equitable Opportunity Cells, time frames for grievance, reporting lines and the ability to monitor. In making this conversion however, the UGC is also asking a far more difficult question which needs attention than the regular slogans and headline coverage: At what point does protection start looking like policing?

To see why, imagine a University as a living ecosystem: the ideal is a community where neighbours know each other and look out for one another, where minor infractions are handled through conversations, and major infractions are handled through trusted institutions. The UGC’s new regulations are akin to establishing a new Neighbourhood watch with cameras, incident reports, helpline squads and a centralised control room. This potential ability to reduce harm could have an unintended consequence, which is how the people in a community relate to one another. Disputes that were once resolved by peers informally are now formalised incidents on a docket. Discussions in an academic environment are cautious. Mentors are hesitant to give honest feedback due to the watchful eye intended to promote safety, however, this same watchful eye inhibits the level of trust and risk taking needed to foster learning.