Veteran Congress leader Sam Pitroda has once again found himself at the centre of controversy after the Indian government fact-checked his claim about a disrupted lecture at the ‘Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Ranchi.’ The problem? There is no ‘IIT’ in Ranchi.
In a sharp rebuttal, the Education Ministry issued a statement on Wednesday clarifying that the Jharkhand capital houses an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), not an IIT. The ministry further stated that even the IIIT-Ranchi has no record of Pitroda delivering a lecture — either in person or virtually — calling his allegations of hacker-led disruptions “baseless and reckless”.
Clarification on the recent remarks made by Shri Sam Pitroda in his webcast
It has come to the notice that Shri Sam Pitroda shared a video on his “X” handle on 22nd Feb 2025. He made a statement in that video that he was speaking at the IIT Ranchi to several hundred students,…
— Ministry of Education (@EduMinOfIndia) February 26, 2025
“These claims aim to malign the image of an extremely reputed institution,” the ministry asserted, adding that institutions like IITs and IIITs are built on “merit, hard work, and achievement” and deserve better than “uninformed statements”.
Education Ministry Issues Strong Warning
The government did not stop at debunking Pitroda’s claims. It also issued a stern warning, stating, “Any attempt to tarnish the reputation of premier institutions will face legal repercussions.”
This latest controversy erupted after Pitroda mentioned the so-called ‘IIT Ranchi lecture disruption’ during a podcast shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account on February 22. During the discussion — focused on the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in today’s world — Pitroda expressed concerns over freedom of speech in a democracy.
He claimed, “Recently, I was speaking at Ranchi IIT to several hundred students, and someone hacked in and started showing pornography.” He went on to question, “Now, is that democracy? Is that fair? I don’t think so… Institutional independence is at the core of democracy.”
Here’s the full podcast:
Conversation with Sam: Relevance of Gandhi in these turbulent times https://t.co/RUmZpZzdVJ
— Sam Pitroda (@sampitroda) February 22, 2025
BJP Slams Sam Pitroda
The BJP reacted, saying Sam Pitroda’s fabricated and foul remarks on IIT are “not just reprehensible but also disgusting and deplorable”. “This is not a slip of the tongue by Sam Pitroda, who has been a repeat offender. This seems like a very deliberate attempt to tarnish the image, and reputation, and defame a respected institution like IIT. Mr. Sam Pitroda should apologise to IIT and all the students and youth community. The Congress party, like it usually does, cannot escape by distancing themselves away. The Congress and Rahul Gandhi should sack Sam Pitroda from his position if they don’t concur with his comment on IIT,” BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan said.
VIDEO | Here’s what BJP National Spokesperson CR Kesavan (@crkesavan) said on Indian Overseas Congress president Sam Pitroda’s remark during a virtual interaction with students of IIT Ranchi:
“Mr. Sam Pitroda’s fabricated and foul remarks on IIT are not just reprehensible but… pic.twitter.com/tJBbyXRqmv
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 27, 2025
