West Bengal university teachers threaten street protests over new transfer law

West Bengal’s university teachers are preparing for street protests and legal battles after the state assembly passed a law allowing the government to transfer professors and staff between institutions without their consent.

The West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, was tabled by Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay and passed on 10 September. It gives the government power to transfer teaching and non-teaching staff across the state for "administrative reasons" in consultation with the Chancellor.

The response from academic bodies has been swift and fierce. At a press conference in Kolkata on 12 September, several groups, including the West Bengal College and University Teachers’ Association (WBCUTA), announced a three-stage campaign. They plan to write to the Governor, who is also the Chancellor, launch a mass signature campaign, and then hold statewide street protests involving teachers, researchers, and students.

Why academics are angry

Teachers argue the law is a direct assault on the autonomy of public universities and will degrade teaching standards.

"This is a direct attack on the autonomy of universities," said Partha Pratim Roy, a Jadavpur University professor and WBCUTA member. He warned that moving teachers would damage institutions' NAAC accreditation and NIRF rankings, which rely heavily on stable faculty numbers.

Academics also say the law threatens student research. Under University Grants Commission rules, transferring a PhD supervisor can lead to the cancellation of a student's registration. "Their years of work will go to waste," said Mahalaya Chattopadhyay, a professor at the University of Calcutta.

The state's teachers also reject the government's claim that the law is designed to share the expertise of seasoned educators with newer, rural institutions.

A system short of staff

The real problem, teachers say, is a severe staff shortage, not its distribution. Most universities in the state are currently operating with only 40% to 60% of their sanctioned teaching strength.

"Transfer never changes the numbers; rather, it destroys the balance of the system," teachers’ bodies said in a joint statement.

Subhoday Dasgupta, president of WBCUTA, pointed out that many of the new universities do not even have buildings or classrooms. Sending senior professors there, he said, would destroy existing academic centres without helping the new ones. He argued the government should focus on new recruitment instead.

Fears of political targeting

There are also deep concerns that the law will be used to punish politically troublesome academics.

When the bill was introduced, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari took swipes at Jadavpur University, suggesting "so-called pundits" would be sent to newer institutions to share their experience. A day earlier, during a march outside the campus, Adhikari had said the government would uproot "anti-national" elements from the university.

"They are punishing teachers who dare to speak," said Gautam Maity, convenor of the All Bengal University Teachers’ Association.

Other academics, like Debabrata Das of Rabindra Bharati University, fear the law is part of a broader push to weaken public education and make way for private universities. Das likened the development to the controversial 2017 Control and Regulation Act, which he described as a "black law."

The joint teachers' associations have demanded the immediate repeal of the bill, a rapid recruitment drive for all vacant posts, more funding for university infrastructure, and the immediate appointment of vice-chancellors to vacant administrative posts.