215 Academics Slam Priyanka Gandhi’s ‘Cow Urine’ Remark On IIT Professor

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s remarks on IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti, who is a member of the new task-force on exam reforms, has triggered an open letter from over 200 vice chancellors, former vice chancellors and academics, condemning her for undermining the academic credentials of a distinguished scientist.

“… We write to express our disappointment over your reported remark describing IIT Madras Director Professor V. Kamakoti as a ‘gaumutra expert’. Whether intended as sarcasm or political rhetoric, such a characterization raises concerns that go far beyond one individual,” the open letter said.

“To dismiss a scholar through a label rather than engage with the substance of his views risks undermining the very scientific temper that our Constitution calls upon every citizen to develop. Our scientists, scholars and educators deserve to know that they can participate in public debate without fear of being reduced to dismissive labels,” they said in the three-page open letter.

“Professor Kamakoti is the head of one of India’s foremost scientific and technological institutions. He has M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Madras. He has published over 150 research papers and has been involved in over 50 R&D projects.(updated on 30th July 2026)