Centre fact checks Sam Pitroda's ‘hacked’ claim: ‘There is no IIT in Ranchi, IIIT denied'
The ministry of education has rejected allegations by Sam Pitroda regarding a hacked virtual session with IIT Ranchi students.
The ministry of education has dismissed and condemned the allegations made by Congress Overseas chief Sam Pitroda, who claimed that his virtual interaction with IIT Ranchi students was hacked and inappropriate content was played.
In a post on X, the ministry pointed out that “there is no IIT in Ranchi”.
The ministry said Sam Pitroda claimed on February 22 that he was speaking at IIT Ranchi to several hundred students, and someone hacked in and started playing some objectionable content, and thus, the event got disrupted.
HT.com could not independently verify the authenticity of Sam Pitroda’s statement.
"It has come to the notice that Sam Pitroda shared a video on his X handle on Feb 22, 2025. He made a statement in that video that he was speaking at the IIT Ranchi to several hundred students, and someone hacked in and started playing some objectionable content, and thus, the event got disrupted," the ministry said in a statement.
"It is hereby clarified that there is no IIT in Ranchi. Therefore, the statement made in that video is not only baseless but also reeks of ignorance. It is pertinent to state that there is an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Ranchi. But IIIT, Ranchi has also confirmed that Sam Pitroda has not been invited by Institute to any conference/seminar to deliver a lecture, physically or virtually," the ministry said.
It added that such a reckless statement seems to be an attempt to malign the image of an extremely reputed institution of the country, i.e., the IIT.
"This institution has stood the test of time and produced some of the brightest minds in the country. Unlike such an uninformed person, IITs reputation is built on the merit, hard work, and achievement of many students, teachers, and academia," it emphasized.
Further, the education ministry condemned Sam Pitorda's statement and said such statements would face legal repercussions.
"Ministry of Education condemns the statement and reiterates that any such attempt to malign the image of the premier institution will face legal repercussions," the MoE said on X.
