NIT Kurukshetra reset: MoE fixes orders, appoints acting director.
New Delhi: The Union Education Ministry on Tuesday ordered corrective measures to improve campus governance and student welfare at the National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra after a high-level review, even as senior professor Brahmjit Singh was appointed as the official director on Monday after accepting the resignation of director BV Ramana Reddy.The review, chaired by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, examined the academic environment, campus life and hostel management, highlighting the need for urgent steps to strengthen student engagement, faculty accountability and overall institutional culture. Immediate measures include upgradation of hostels, structured faculty training on mentoring and student welfare, and standard operating procedures to institutionalize student engagement.The leadership change follows the ministry’s decision to withdraw Reddy’s administrative and financial powers amid concerns over governance, officials said. Reddy tendered his resignation earlier this month, which was accepted on Friday during a visit by higher education department secretary Vineet Joshi.Singh, the senior-most professor, had been overseeing the administrative functions since Reddy’s demotion and will now serve as the official director.On March 29, the Center constituted a three-member panel under the NITSER Act, 2007, which will review the functioning and leadership of the institution. The committee, comprising Anil Sahasarabadhe, M Madangopal and KK Shukla, is looking into governance, academic and administrative processes, recruitment and promotion systems, and complaints from supervisory agencies.The development comes in the backdrop of four student suicides on campus in the past two months, including three in April. The death of a 20-year-old second-year student on April 16 sparked protests, with students alleging negligence and demanding an investigation.Following the unrest, authorities suspended academic activities and asked students to vacate hostels, though selected batches have been asked to return from May 9.In a related move, the institute has suspended joint registrar Giana Ranjan Samantare after a central team visited the campus.The Haryana Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu notice by seeking a report from the institute and the district authorities.The interventions are aimed at restoring stability while addressing governance and student welfare concerns, officials said.
