prof protest Joint press conference by University Teachers’ Association, university teachers, research scholars and WBCUTA in protest against The West Bengal Universities and Colleges Administration and Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 — Photo by Indranil Das
Kolkata: Teacher representatives from 14 universities, including Jadavpur University, Calcutta University, Rabindra Bharati University and Presidency University, and two all-Bengal university and teachers’ organisations announced the outline of their continuous movement, including the legal battle, that they will undertake to oppose the transfer bill and demanded its repeal.
The body language and vocabulary used to pass this bill while keeping the interest of education at the forefront, and the aggressive attitude seen among the leaders and ministers, makes it clear that this bill is being used only to satisfy political vendetta. ” JUTA president Partha Pratim Ray said: “No state, not even the central universities, have this law. The professors expressed apprehensions that state-controlled transfer powers could be used politically as punitive measures against dissent or outspoken academic critics, and this would derail ongoing research projects, laboratory set-ups, endanger grants, disrupt progress of PhD scholars and will essentially weaken the public education system. RBU professor Debabrata Das stated that joint and university-wise letters will first be sent next week to the Governor, who is also the chancellor of state-aided universities. “A statewide signature collection campaign will be conducted against this bill. Then, a protest programme will be held simultaneously across all colleges and universities in the state. Finally, a mass convention will be held with educationists. In parallel, preparations for a legal battle will continue. If that too doesn’t work, we will directly take to the streets to protest against this bill. ABUTA general secretary Goutam Maity added: “This bill has been brought only for punishment transfers. Why is the state govt considering teachers as enemies? Transferring professors mid-project violates legal agreements with funding agencies, as grants are secured based on the original university’s infrastructure.”
WBCUTA president Subhoday Dasgupta said: “The current govt is actually taking forward the bill that was passed in 2017 during the Trinamool regime. After the enactment of this act in 2017, we saw our colleagues being transferred in phases from various colleges without any justified reason. Because it is needed to sustain a department and create specialisations, we call this ‘parampara’.
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolkata | Silver Rate in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Petrol Price in Kolkata | Diesel Price in Kolkata | CNG Price in Kolkata | LPG Price in Kolkata Stay updated with the latest Kolkata news.
CU professor Mahalaya Chatterjee said, “The higher education minister used a term ‘academic inbreeding’ in the assembly meaning those who studied at the same university and are now teaching there. Hiring teachers there would solve this problem. ” A senior JU professor said, “The minister gave the example of the geological sciences department saying that out of 16 faculty members, 11 are there out of academic inbreeding. If the struggling universities have to be revived, then why do professors have to be picked up from other universities and placed there? In the department, there are two Bhatnagar awardees. So what is wrong with academic-inbreeding? Instead of taking measures to repeal this act, this govt has brought an extended and more damaging version. Download the TOI App.