Varanasi : Former Bareilly city magistrate Alankar Agnihotri , suspended by the Uttar Pradesh government for indiscipline, has announced that he will stage a protest in Delhi from February 7 if the central government does not repeal the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The 2019-batch Provincial Civil Services (PCS) officer, who had resigned from his post in Bareilly, made the announcement after meeting Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati at Srividya Math in Kedarghat, Varanasi, on Sunday.
Alankar Agnihotri said that several upper-caste organisations would participate in the protest if the government fails to withdraw the SC/ST Act by February 6.
Addressing questions about his meeting with Swami Avimukteshwaranand—who was reportedly prevented from taking a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam during the Magh Mela in Prayagraj on January 18— Alankar Agnihotri described it as a “fortunate coincidence” and emphasized that it was not politically motivated. He added that the Swamiji had previously invited him to Prayagraj, but he could not attend due to scheduling conflicts.
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During the media interaction, Alankar Agnihotri also spoke about public dissatisfaction over the new University Grants Commission (UGC) rules. He called the SC/ST Act, enacted in 1989, the “blackest law in the country,” claiming that 85% of the population is impacted and 95% of cases filed under it are false. He added that numerous upper-caste organisations across India support his stance.
The Uttar Pradesh government suspended Alankar Agnihotri on January 26, the same day he resigned from his position as Bareilly city magistrate, citing disagreement with government policies—particularly the new UGC regulations and issues related to Swami Avimukteshwaranand. His resignation sparked significant administrative and political controversy.