A movement in favour of the now-suspended equity rules of the University Grants Commission is picking up pace on campuses, with students from the SC, ST and OBC communities taking the lead.

The Samata Sangharsh Samiti (SSS), a recently formed organisation, is coordinating and promoting protests by student groups in universities.

At a media conference, SSS national coordinator Mayank Yadav said that 20 student and civil society organisations were part of the movement, which started in response to the protests against the equity regulations of the UGC and the stay by the Supreme Court on the proposed rules.

The UGC regulations provided for a mechanism to prevent caste-based discrimination against the SCs, STs and OBCs in higher educational institutions. However, groups representing the savarna students alleged that there was no provision to protect those from the forward castes from caste-based discrimination and to check misuse of the rules against forward-caste Hindus.

Yadav said the contention of the savarna students reflected caste bias and their support for caste-based discrimination on campuses. He said protests had been held in many institutions, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Patna University and Banaras Hindu University.

Yadav said the SSS would hold a convention in Delhi on February 17 to demand a central law to criminalise discrimination against socially deprived sections in institutions.

The Karnataka government is set to bring a similar law to be named after Rohit Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar who ended his life after allegedly facing discrimination. The SSS will also hold public hearings in institutions on the equity rules.

The SSS demanded that the government fill the backlog of vacancies in teaching positions for SCs, STs and OBCs in higher educational institutions.