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Suspended City Magistrate of Bareilly, Alankar Agnihotri, raised grave concerns over the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and demanded its abolition by February 6, threatening a public overthrow of the Central government if the deadline is not met.
Agnihotri visited Varanasi on Sunday night at the invitation of Swami Avimukteshwaranand, where he met with the seer to discuss and plan their next steps. Agnihotri stated that while the new guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC) have been stayed, the bigger issue is the abolition of the SC/ST Act, adding that if it is not withdrawn by February 6, the government at the Centre will be uprooted. "February 6 is the final deadline. If the SC/ST Act is not repealed by then, the Central Government will be "put on a chartered plane and sent back to Gujarat," he declared. When questioned why he is now targeting the Central Government, given that the initial conflict was with the state, he clarified that the fight was never truly with the state government but primarily with the Centre. He further alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are discriminating against the state government in an attempt to destabilise it, claiming that the state administration is operating under immense pressure. He added that arrangements are underway to ensure all the state's funds are diverted to Gujarat. He has been in the media spotlight since he resigned from his post amid controversy over the Shankaracharya's ritual bath at the Magh Mela in Prayagraj. Agnihotri remarked, "When I saw the symbols of Sanatan culture being insulted, I could not tolerate it and submitted my resignation." After the Supreme Court on January 29th stayed the UGC's new Regulations, 2026, Suspended City Magistrate of Bareilly Alankar Agnihotri termed the institutional misuse of provisions related to caste-based discrimination in education, warning that such practices could have serious social consequences, even leading to internal unrest in the country. Speaking to ANI, Agnihotri said that caste-based discrimination should never be used as an institutional tool and should remain confined to appropriate vocabulary and discourse. He alleged that the clause related to caste discrimination is increasingly being treated as a self-inflicted crime, where families are targeted irrespective of merit. "If your son is good at studies, then he will be accused and his salary will be exploited. Similarly, if your daughter or daughter-in-law studies in a university, then she will be accused and her salary will be exploited. Daughters and daughters-in-law will have to commit suicide," Agnihotri said. He further claimed that such practices affect society as a whole and warned that prolonged conflicts between social groups could harm national unity. (ANI)
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