# 14,000 academics demand action over Priyanka’s ‘cow urine’ remark 2026-08-13T00:57:14+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets More than 14,000 academics have petitioned Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's remark calling IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti a 'gau mutra' expert during a parliamentary debate on exam reforms. The petition, launched on Change.org on August 1, says the comment demeaned a scientist and breached parliamentary civility. Separately, over 215 vice chancellors and academicians issued an open letter slamming the jibe as mockery of scientific discourse. The petitioners, describing themselves as the Academic and Scientific Community, said support came from Indian scientists in 38 countries. ## Coverage - thehansindia.com - indiatoday.in Tags: academic freedom, IIT Madras, open letter, Parliament debate, Priyanka Gandhi, V. Kamakoti Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/215-vcs-slam-priyanka-gandhi-for-cow-urine-jibe-at-iit-director/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/215-vcs-slam-priyanka-gandhi-for-cow-urine-jibe-at-iit-director/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.