Home › Blog › The Scientist in the Political Storm: Who Is Prof. V. Kamakoti, the IIT Madras Director Labelled a "Gaumutra Expert"?

Prof. V. Kamakoti: Director of IIT Madras, Creator of SHAKTI Microprocessor, and NTA Task Force Member

The Scientist in the Political Storm: Who Is Prof. V. Kamakoti, the IIT Madras Director Labelled a "Gaumutra Expert"?

During a debate in the Lok Sabha on July 28, 2026, concerning national examination security and the National Testing Agency (NTA) paper leak crisis, Congress Member of Parliament Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sparked a political storm. Questioning the composition of the Union Government’s newly appointed high-powered task force on exam reforms—headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani—Priyanka Gandhi aimed her criticism at one of its key academic members:

"In this new committee, there is one ex-IB chief, one IT company owner, and one gaumutra expert. What do they know about education?"
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (Lok Sabha, July 28, 2026)

The target of her "gaumutra expert" (cow urine expert) remark was Professor Veezhinathan Kamakoti (V. Kamakoti), the sitting Director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, a Padma Shri recipient, and one of India’s premier computer scientists.

The remark drew sharp reactions from the Treasury benches, with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders accusing the Opposition of belittling an eminent scientist who pioneered India’s first indigenous microprocessor and serves on the National Security Advisory Board.

1. Who Is Professor V. Kamakoti? Early Life and Academic Foundations

Veezhinathan Kamakoti is an Indian computer scientist, academic administrator, and structural technology expert who currently serves as the Director of IIT Madras. His academic relationship with IIT Madras spans over four decades as a student, researcher, professor, and administrator.

Prof. V. Kamakoti addressing researchers and engineering faculty at IIT Madras RISE Laboratory

Prof. Kamakoti completed his undergraduate studies before earning both his Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Madras. His doctoral research focused on algorithms, computational geometry, and VLSI (Very-Large-Scale Integration) design—the process of packing millions of transistors onto a single silicon chip.

In 2001, after completing advanced research, Kamakoti joined the faculty of his alma mater as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Over two decades, he rose through the academic hierarchy, serving as Professor, Associate Dean of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research, and Chairman of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) at IIT Madras.

In January 2022, the Ministry of Education appointed Prof. Kamakoti as the Director of IIT Madras. Under his leadership, IIT Madras maintained its top ranking in the Ministry of Education's National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) as the #1 Engineering Institute in India for consecutive years, while expanding internationally with the inauguration of IIT Madras Zanzibar in Tanzania.

2. Scientific Breakthroughs: The SHAKTI Microprocessor Project

Prof. Kamakoti’s flagship scientific achievement is leading the team at the RISE (Reconfigurable Intelligent Systems Engineering) lab at IIT Madras that designed and fabricated SHAKTI—India’s first indigenous, industrial-grade microprocessor built on open-source RISC-V architecture.

Supported directly by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under the Microprocessor Programme, SHAKTI proved that India could design secure, commercial-grade silicon chips domestically, eliminating hardware backdoors in critical national infrastructure.

High-powered NTA Examination Reform Task Force Committee 2026

3. The Origin of the "Gaumutra" Controversy

In January 2025 during a speech at a Maatu Pongal event organized at a cow shelter in Chennai, Prof. Kamakoti spoke about the ecological importance of indigenous cattle breeds (Bos indicus) and organic farming. During his address, he stated that cow urine contains antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and digestive properties, citing an anecdote about an ascetic's fever.

The remarks triggered sharp criticism from medical professionals, rationalist groups, and Opposition leaders, who accused the IIT Director of promoting unverified medical claims without human clinical trial data. In response, Prof. Kamakoti clarified that his statements were rooted in published scientific literature, including an article published in the journal Nature evaluating peptide profiling in cow urine under the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI).

4. The Lok Sabha Firestorm: Priyanka Gandhi’s Jibe and the Political Clash

The controversy resurfaced on July 28, 2026, when the Union Government announced a high-powered task force to reform the National Testing Agency (NTA) following widespread protests over exam paper leaks. The six-member task force includes:

• Nandan Nilekani (Chairman): Infosys Co-founder (System Architecture & Scale)
• S. Somanath: Former ISRO Chairman (Operational Precision & Logistics)
• Tapan Deka: Former IB Chief (Intelligence Auditing & Leak Prevention)
• Prof. V. Kamakoti: Director, IIT Madras (Cybersecurity, Encryption & Hardware)
• Anita Karwal: Former Union Education Secretary (School Board Mechanics)
• Amrit Lal Meena: Logistics & Administrative Expert

Responding to Priyanka Gandhi's parliamentary jibe, senior BJP leader Anurag Thakur defended Kamakoti: "To reduce a world-class scientist who designed India's first indigenous microprocessor to a political label shows a lack of respect for Indian innovation."

5. NTA Exam Reform Task Force Technical Mandate

Prof. Kamakoti's mandate on the NTA panel focuses strictly on technical cybersecurity:

6. Master Summary Matrix

Key Takeaways

Prof. V. Kamakoti is a distinguished computer scientist, Padma Shri recipient, and IIT Madras Director who designed India's first indigenous microprocessor (SHAKTI). His appointment to the NTA task force leverages his expertise in hardware security and encryption to audit national exam infrastructure.