Kolkata: Eighteen academics have called for the withdrawal of the West Bengal inter-university transfer bill, alleging that it threatens varsity autonomy and academic freedom.

The demand was raised at an all-India online protest meeting held on October 8, organised by the Association of Bengal University Teachers (ABUTA) in association with the West Bengal College and University Teachers' Association (WBCUTA) and other university-level teachers' bodies in the state, according to an ABUTA statement on Saturday.

The West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, was introduced and passed during a special session of the state Assembly on September 10, empowering the government to transfer teaching and non-teaching staff from one state university to another, among a total of eight such institutions across the state.

Jawhar Sircar, former principal secretary of higher education in the state government and ex-chief executive officer of Prasar Bharati, termed the proposed legislation a "direct attack on university autonomy".

He called for a united effort to protect publicly funded higher education.

Nandita Narain, former president of the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) and the Federation of Central Universities Teachers' Associations (FEDCUTA), stressed the responsibility of teachers to safeguard campus autonomy and educational rights while fostering democratic values among students and society.

AH Rajasab, former vice-chancellor of Tumkur University in Karnataka, alleged that attempts were being made to suppress progressive and rational thinking in public universities.

Arun Kumar, general secretary of the All India Federation of University and College Teachers' Organisations (AIFUCTO), described the Bill as an attempt to "punish teachers and create an atmosphere of fear".

Syed Akhtar Husain, president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA) and FEDCUTA, called on teachers across the country to oppose the proposed legislation through political, legal and social means.

ABUTA general secretary and senior Jadavpur University faculty member Goutam Maity said the Bill was against public interest, arguing that the fear of transfer could discourage teachers from independent thinking and expressing dissenting views.

"This will undermine creativity and innovation in education and research, with wider implications for the country's economy, industry and social development," Maity said.

WBCUTA general secretary Nilay Kumar Saha said the teachers' bodies would jointly challenge the Bill in court and continue their agitation.

Office-bearers of the Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA) and the Calcutta University Teachers' Association (CUTA), among others, also expressed their resolve to continue the movement against the proposed legislation.

Former Jadavpur University professor Tarun Kanti Naskar said the meeting had opened up new possibilities for a united teachers' movement across the country, which he described as the need of the hour.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.