A major controversy erupted at the India AI Impact Summit when Galgotias University, a private institution in Greater Noida, near Delhi, was caught presenting Chinese-made robots and drones as innovations developed on its campus.
The university has over 40,000 students and offers over 200 programs in technical and non-technical subjects. It was granted a stall at the summit, billed as the largest AI conference in the Global South, with over 200 delegates from around the world.
Claims made on camera
At the stall, Professor Neha Singh, head of the university’s Communications Department, confidently told the cameras that the robots and drones on display were developed at Galgotias University. The claims were quickly exposed when Chinese media outlets identified the products, provided their names, specifications, and pricing, and confirmed that the items were made in China, not Indian innovations.
The defense that backfired
When questioned, Singh said his statements had been misrepresented. The university apologized, saying the representative had been “misinformed” and had spoken without permission “in the excitement of being on camera.”
Since Singh leads the university’s communication department, the defense drew sharp criticism. Critics pointed out that a professor teaching communication had claimed to have made statements on camera at a global event, and then retracted them.
Kicked out – but not without a fight
The summit organizers initially cut off power to the university’s stall, then asked it to leave. When the university refused to vacate, security was called in to forcibly remove the stall.
Further embarrassment ensued when reporters at the summit discovered that Galgotias University’s original drone exhibit was a thermocol model held together with tape and wire, raising questions about the institution’s ability to create anything close to the advanced technology it claimed to possess.
A pattern, not an incident
The background to this controversy is extensive. The university, established in 2011, has been facing allegations for years. Between 2010 and 2012, its founder, Sunil Galgotia, is accused of using forged documents to obtain a loan of Rs 120 crore. In 2011, students who had secured admission on the promise of hostel facilities were sent to accommodation 14 kilometers away from campus. Sunil Galgotia’s family, including his mother, wife, and son, were issued non-bailable warrants for fraud and financial misconduct. The university’s current CEO, Dhruv Galgotia, spent 14 days in jail. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the university was accused of charging students full fees and extra charges. In 2024, it was accused of using students for political rallies and falsely claiming a placement offer of Rs 1.5 crore for one student.
Political fallout
The incident sparked a political reaction. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi posted on social media that the AI summit had become a “chaotic PR spectacle” with “showcasing Chinese products.” Following this, the Congress party, in a post, accused the Modi government of “completely damaging” India’s image.
However, summit supporters said the antics of one university stall should not be used to question an event that showcases the country’s big AI ambitions on the global stage.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
