Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday demanded urgent action from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the delay in scholarships for 3,500 Dalit students enrolled in colleges affiliated with Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh University in Aligarh.
In a post on social media platform X, Mayawati accused the Social Welfare Department in Lucknow of “insensitivity and negligence” despite repeated appeals from the university and district administration. She said the delay has caused “widespread anxiety and anger” among Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities.
“The future of these students hangs in the balance. I urge the Chief Minister to personally intervene,” Mayawati wrote, pointing out that the university was established under Adityanath’s own initiative.
For several days now, Dalit students at the university have been protesting, demanding the release of their scholarship funds.
Reacting to the issue, Nagina MP Chandra Shekhar Azad expressed “deep distress and anger” over what he called the “humiliation and discrimination” faced by SC students.
Azad alleged that when students approached the Vice Chancellor about their rejected scholarship forms, they were insulted for their appearance and background. “One student was told, ‘You are a labourer’s son; you should be wearing slippers,’” he claimed.
Calling the behavior “inhumane” and a violation of Articles 15 and 17 of the Constitution, Azad demanded a high-level investigation into the rejected scholarship forms and an independent judicial inquiry into the “insults and threats” faced by Dalit students.
“This is not just a fight for scholarships,” Azad said. “It is a fight for the Constitution and social justice. I will raise this issue both in Parliament and on the streets.”
University officials have said they are working to resolve the issue soon.
