The West Bengal Assembly on Thursday passed the West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which permits transfers of teaching staff at universities and colleges across the state. The move to amend the 2017 Act comes a day after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari spoke about a bill to enable transfer of professors in Jadavpur University. The rally, which also had other BJP leaders, members of the sanatani community and sadhus walked past the locked university gates, some stood there chanting ‘Jai Sri Ram’ slogans.
Adhikari warned that those who use “anti-national words” will be transferred as punishment. He also pointed out that professors are being transferred in Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra universities while similar processes are under way in Gujarat and Bihar.
The CM emphasised on grants for the university coming from the Union government and state government coffers. Adhikari said the rational behind the transfers was to strengthen smaller universities within the state like Jhargram and Cooch Behar. “There are no teachers in Kanyashree University (Nadia district). Why should they not have teachers?” asked Adhikari while saying only the vice chancellor’s role was permanent.
Adhikari alleged that students were being forcefully asked to say ‘Kashmir mange azadi’, ‘Hum Bharat ka tukde tukde kar denge’, 'We will cut you to pieces', 'Free Palestine' and 'Red salute to Kishenji'.
West Bengal Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay spoke about double standards as the students and professors were preaching leftist leader Mao Zedong’s teachings while going to the US for education. “Then go to China, if you support Mao,” said Chattopadhyay.
The minister also pointed out academic inbreeding within the university, where students became teaching staff and there was no fresh thinking within the university. “Of the 41 professors at the university, 16 are from academic inbreeding,” added the Higher Education Minister. Academic inbreeding is the practice of a university hiring its own graduates for faculty positions without requiring them to gain professional or teaching experience at other institutions.
Akhruzaman, chief whip of the Ritabrata Banerjee faction of TMC raised concern over the bill used in a punitive way to transfer teaching staff in universities, questioning what the administrative reasons given by the state government. He also questioned what happens to years of research put in by a professor at a university when a transfer is initiated. Assembly speaker Ratindra Bose asked the opposition to not mention the word ‘gerua’ or saffron when Akhruzzaman stated that saffronisation of Jadavpur University is taking place.
Despite concerns by opposition MLAs, including the Mamata faction of TMC and Naushad Siddiqui of Indian Secular Force (ISF), the bill was passed in the assembly.
