Shimla, Sept. 15 -- The Himachal Pradesh University Teachers' Welfare Association (HPUTWA), which has been staging a dharna against the Himachal Pradesh State Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2026, for the past 13 days, on Monday said that it would intensify its agitation as a joint action committee comprising representatives of all five universities in the state is being formed to oppose the state government's move. The association also said it would move court if the legislation is notified.The bill, which is yet to receive the governor's assent, was passed by the state legislative assembly through a voice vote during the monsoon session amid opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Under the bill, the universities will retain the authority to appoint professors and associate professors, while recruitment to all other posts will be handled by the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (HPPSC) and the State Selection Commission. Additionally, the state's finance secretary will now chair the finance committee of the universities. The association has termed the bill a direct attack on the autonomy of the university, while the state government has maintained that the aim is to bring transparency to appointments. During the assembly session, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had defended the changes, arguing that the previous system allowed for political interference and recommendations. Sukhu had cited alleged irregularities under the previous government as justification for stricter controls. The CPM had also called for an independent judicial inquiry into 186 teacher appointments made between 2020 and 2023 at HPU. Prof Nitin Vyas, president of the HPUTWA, said the process of forming a joint action committee of the five universities in the state was under way to intensify the protest. "At HPU level, we will form another panel to bring the other unions, including non-teaching groups, under one banner to collectively fight to save the autonomy of the university. We want a rollback of the move. We will even boycott classes and hold protest marches," he said. Regarding recruitment, he said placing the process under "external" control could affect the future of higher educational institutions. "The HPUTWA met the governor, who assured us that the university's autonomous status will be protected," Vyas added. HPUTWA secretary Ankush Bhardwaj said, "Teachers support accountability and transparency, but autonomy cannot be compromised in the name of accountability. Decisions concerning the university must be made in accordance with democratic and institutional processes." Joint secretary Anjali Sharma said autonomy was not merely an administrative issue but was linked to academic freedom in teaching, research and decision-making. "Resources, laboratories and infrastructure should be strengthened rather than interfering with the university's independent functioning," she said. Rakesh Kumar Negi of the association said, "The university's autonomy is the fundamental basis of its effective and independent functioning." Prof Chandra Mohan Parsheera noted that over the past 56 years, the university had made significant contributions to education and research. "One cannot measure a person's knowledge solely through a three-hour examination. Research activities continue round-the-clock at the university. Therefore, the government's attempt to curtail the freedom of autonomous institutions is unjustified," he said. Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said, "The bill violates UGC norms and is a direct attack on the autonomy of universities. The CM wants to bring the university under his control. This bill will also not stand legal scrutiny in a court of law." Thakur said the CM had attempted to take control of the appointment of vice-chancellors, but the move was struck down by the high court....