Retired IPS Officer Mrityunjay Kumar Singh to Head Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kolkata

Mrityunjay Kumar Singh, a retired IPS officer of the 1987 batch, West Bengal cadre, will join as Director of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kolkata Kendra, from August 1, 2026. The Kolkata Kendra runs two large schools, a management institute, a Kala Kendra and a sports academy in West Bengal.

Singh's career spanned policing, governance, diplomacy and cultural administration. He served as Superintendent of Police of Murshidabad and undivided Midnapore, as Director in the Ministry of External Affairs handling Bangladesh affairs, as a Regional Passport Officer, and as Counsellor (Culture) at the Embassy of India in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he curated a three-month-long Festival of India.

The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, a cultural and educational institution with centres across India and abroad, draws on retired civil servants with cultural-administration experience to head its regional kendras, a role that blends institutional management with cultural programming.

Singh's diplomatic-culture background — particularly his experience curating a major cultural festival abroad — lines up directly with the kind of programming the Bhavan's Kolkata Kendra runs through its Kala Kendra and allied institutions, alongside the administrative oversight required for its schools and management institute.

His appointment takes effect from August 1, 2026, as announced by the Bhavan's Kolkata Kendra.