Bareilly Witnesses High Drama Over Resigned City Magistrate Alankar Agnihotri
When police attempted to forcibly take the officer, who had reportedly been under “house arrest” since Tuesday evening, his supporters resisted.
Published : January 28, 2026 at 7:05 PM IST
Bareilly: High political and administrative drama unfolded in Bareilly on Wednesday over suspended city magistrate Alankar Agnihotri, who had resigned in protest against the new UGC regulations and the alleged insult of Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand.
When police attempted to forcibly take the officer, who had reportedly been under “house arrest” since Tuesday evening, his supporters resisted.
Around 1:30 pm on Wednesday, three police vehicles arrived at Agnihotri’s residence to escort him. By then, nearly 400 supporters had gathered outside. As the convoy began to move, supporters lay down in front of the vehicles, raising slogans against “injustice.” Some protesters even climbed onto the police cars.
Supporters called Agnihotri their “hero” and vowed not to let him go. After nearly 10 minutes of chaos, police used force to disperse the crowd and escorted the officer away under heavy security.
Before being taken away, Agnihotri addressed the media from inside the gate and launched an attack on the Yogi Adityanath-led government. He warned that the new UGC rules would divide students along caste lines and increase unrest in educational institutions.
“If this is not stopped, it could lead to a civil war-like situation in the country,” he said, adding that organisations across Uttar Pradesh were uniting in his support and that he might take a “big decision” in the coming days.
Responding to the controversy, ADM Saurabh Dubey issued a brief statement, saying that the City Magistrate was being taken to his ancestral home under administrative supervision. However, questions have been raised over the manner in which Agnihotri was escorted out of Bareilly amid heavy police deployment.
Earlier, Agnihotri, a PCS officer who resigned protesting the UGC’s new rules and alleged atrocities against Brahmin students, had claimed that he was placed under house arrest inside the ADM compound since Tuesday night. He alleged that the premises had been turned into a “mini jail.”
Agnihotri issued a message through his WhatsApp status, stating that he was under house arrest and could communicate only via phone. “If I become unreachable, people should file a writ petition in the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution,” he wrote.
He further alleged that instructions had been given to install signal jammers at the premises to cut him off from the outside world. He appealed that in case of his disappearance, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Union Home Ministry and senior advocates of the Supreme Court should be informed.
Agnihotri’s defiant stance has put the administration on high alert. Authorities are now collecting information about individuals who have been in continuous contact with him in recent days. An inquiry is also underway to determine whether he acted under anyone’s influence or provocation. The state government has directed local officials to resolve the matter at the earliest.
In a brief interaction with the media, Agnihotri said that the freedom to move and to eat and drink is his fundamental right, but he had been “detained like a hostage.” He alleged that constitutional machinery in the district had completely collapsed.
Read More:
