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Prof Brahmjit Singh appointed officiating director of NIT Kurukshetra
NIT Kurukshetra appointed senior professor Brahmjit Singh as officiating director after the MoE withdrew the director’s powers and BV Ramana Reddy resigned. A government committee had been reviewing the institute since March, while campus protests over student suicides intensified the governance scrutiny.
Why It Matters
The leadership change at a major technical institute comes amid ongoing government oversight and serious student welfare concerns, signaling potential reforms in governance and administration.
Timeline
6 Events
Suspension of joint registrar amid central team investigation
April 25, 2026
The institute issued suspension orders for joint registrar Gyana Ranjan Samantaray following the visit of a Central team on Friday to investigate the matter of student suicides.
Brahmjit Singh appointed officiating director
April 24, 2026
Most senior professor Brahmjit Singh was appointed as the officiating director of NIT Kurukshetra; he has been overseeing administrative work since Reddy’s powers were withdrawn.
Resignation accepted amid MoE review visit
April 24, 2026
Reddy’s resignation was accepted on Friday during a visit by Vineet Joshi, secretary of the Department of Higher Education, MoE, to review ongoing concerns involving student suicides.
Campus death triggers protests
April 16, 2026
A 20-year-old second-year AI and data science student from Bihar died on April 16, 2026. Protests erupted on the campus, alleging negligence by the institute and demanding a probe into the death.
Resignation submitted by director BV Ramana Reddy
April 4, 2026
BV Ramana Reddy submitted his resignation as director of NIT Kurukshetra.
Committee constituted to review institute governance and leadership
March 29, 2026
The Union government constituted a three-member committee to review the functioning of NIT Kurukshetra and the director’s leadership. The panel includes Anil Sahasrabudhe (chairman, NETF), M Madan Gopal (IAS, retd), and K K Shukla (director, MANIT, Bhopal). It was tasked to examine governance, academic and administrative functioning, recruitment and promotion processes, staff grievances, and complaints from the Central Vigilance Commission and other agencies, as well as institutional performance and governance issues such as NIRF rankings and vacancies.