Day After Centre’s Fact-Check, Sam Pitroda’s Big Claim About IIT Roorkee 

A day after the Centre dismissed Congress leader Sam Pitroda’s statement about an objectionable video being played during his webcast with “IIT Ranchi students,” Mr Pitroda made a similar claim about IIT Roorkee. 

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Pitroda claimed that he was invited to speak at IIT Roorkee for an event on February 1 through a Zoom link attended by students and faculty members.

“Unfortunately, just minutes after my speech, a hacker infiltrated the video link and began streaming explicit, inappropriate content. We immediately shut down the video and ended the event,” Mr Pitroda wrote. “It is deeply disturbing that such incidents occur, especially in academic spaces meant for learning and growth. Cyber Security remains a critical concern, and this serves as a stark reminder of the importance of digital safety and vigilance.” 

I was invited to speak at IIT Roorkee @iitroorkee during the Cognizant event on February 1, 2025, via @Zoom with students and faculty.

Unfortunately, just minutes after my speech, a hacker infiltrated the video link and began streaming explicit, inappropriate content. We…

— Sam Pitroda (@sampitroda) February 27, 2025

Mr Pitroda’s remarks came a day after the Centre pushed back on his allegations that his initial claims about speaking at “IIT Ranchi” were factually incorrect. Late on Wednesday night, the Ministry of Education issued a statement debunking Mr Pitroda’s. 

“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,” the ministry said.

The ministry further stated that while there is an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Ranchi, the institute had confirmed that it had never invited Mr Pitroda to any conference or seminar, whether physically or virtually.

The controversy erupted after Mr Pitroda, during a podcast shared on X on February 22, claimed that he had addressed students at IIT Ranchi when someone hacked into the session and played pornographic content.

“Recently, I was speaking at Ranchi IIT to several hundred students… and someone hacked in and started showing pornography,” he said in the video.

The Centre quickly flagged the claim as false, pointing out that no IIT exists in Ranchi and that no official invitation had been extended to Mr Pitroda.