Troubles for Galgotias University intensified on Wednesday. The institution was ordered to leave the India AI Impact Summit 2026 after multiple controversies regarding its innovation claims. Just hours after being called out for showcasing a Chinese-made robot dog as its own, the university faced new scrutiny over a “soccer drone” it claimed was developed entirely in-house.
Expulsion from Bharat Mandapam
Government authorities acted quickly on Wednesday afternoon, directing Galgotias University to clear its pavilion at the flagship AI event.
Power cut: Reports indicate that the electricity supply to the university’s stall was disconnected shortly after the order.
Official stance: S. Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), stated that the government wants only “genuine and actual work” to be displayed. He emphasized that misleading the public would not be tolerated.
The soccer drone row: ‘In-house’ vs Korean tech
Even as the university was being asked to leave, a new video surfaced featuring Professor Neha Singh describing a “soccer drone” as a product of “end-to-end engineering” at the Greater Noida campus.
The claim: Singh asserted that everything from the design to the application was developed at the university. She described it as India’s first on-campus drone soccer arena.
The scrutiny: Tech enthusiasts and the Indian Youth Congress quickly debunked the claim on social media, identifying the drone as the Striker V3 ARF, a commercially available product made by the South Korean firm Helsel Group.
Price point: Although presented as a high-end innovation, the Striker V3 is a known professional drone soccer set available for about ₹40,000 ($450).
The ‘Orion’ robodog clarification
The expulsion was primarily triggered by Tuesday’s controversy involving “Orion,” a robotic dog showcased as a ₹350 crore university-led project.
Reality check: Netizens identified the robot as the Unitree Go2, a mass-produced model from China.
Retraction: Galgotias University later issued a statement saying they “never claimed” to have built the robodog. They stated it was acquired as a learning tool to “build minds” rather than hardware.
Miscommunication defense: Professor Neha Singh apologized for the confusion. She attributed the claims of in-house development to “excitement” and said her words were “misinterpreted.”
Political fallout
The episode has become a political flashpoint. The Congress party mocked the university’s “world tour of borrowed innovation,” while government sources accused the opposition of trying to politicize the incident to undermine the success of India’s first-ever global AI Summit.
