New Delhi [India], February 27 : The Ministry of Education has refuted and condemned the claims of Congress Overseas Chief Sam Pitroda, who alleged that someone hacked his virtual interaction with IIT Ranchi students and objectionable content was played thereafter.
In a post on X, the Education Ministry highlighted that there is no "IIT in Ranchi."
"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," it said.
"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 further 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 Indian Institute of Technology.
"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 Pitorda's statement and said that 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 Ministry of Education said on X.