Alankar Agnihotri, a 2019-batch Provincial Civil Service officer, sent his resignation by e-mail to Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Bareilly District Magistrate Avinash Singh, the officials told news agency PTI. The new rules notified by the UGC on January 13 -- the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026 -- have sparked widespread criticism from general category students who argue that the framework could lead to discrimination against them.