New Delhi: Amid the controversy involving Galgotias University over a robotic dog displayed at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs on Thursday questioned the role of the organisers and demanded strict action, including penalties, against the university. The MPs said the incident was not only a matter of national embarrassment but had also led to international ridicule.
Speaking to IANS, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said the episode could have been avoided if proper scrutiny had been carried out before allotting space to exhibitors.
“The way Galgotias University was given such a large pavilion, and through that pavilion they ended up creating confusion in the country in the name of innovation, is unfortunate. Their so-called innovation gave Chinese media an opportunity to run propaganda. This could have been avoided if, before the AI Summit, proper scrutiny and checklists had been put in place for pavilions and stalls to verify who was being given access to such a platform,” she said.
Calling the summit a major global event, Chaturvedi said it was meant to showcase India’s capabilities to the world.
“This was such a big global summit. Leaders from across the world are here. Indian startups are getting a platform. What they have done has distracted people and created unnecessary controversy. This is not just national ridicule but international ridicule. The government has ordered them to vacate their stall, but that is only one step. I think a penalty should also be imposed on the university. What they did is shameless,” she told IANS.
Echoing similar concerns, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP, Anil Desai, questioned how such an exhibit was allowed in the first place. “If an AI model created in China was being displayed, wouldn’t the authorities or organisers have known about it? The Government of India intended this demonstration not only for Indians but for the entire world, with participants from major countries attending. If strict action is being taken against institutions like Galgotias University, then what about those who allowed their entry and participation in the first place without checking?” Desai said.
In its first official reaction to the controversy on Wednesday, the Centre said it wants “genuine and actual work” to be displayed at such platforms and does not want to encourage misinformation.
The Greater Noida-based university came under heavy criticism on social media after Neha Singh, a Professor of Communications, claimed in an interview to DD News that a robotic dog displayed at the university’s pavilion had been developed by its “centre of excellence”. She also referred to the robotic dog as “Orion”. However, it soon emerged that the product was the Unitree Go2, developed by China’s Unitree Robotics.
Neha Singh later blamed miscommunication for the incident. Meanwhile, the university distanced itself from her remarks and said she was not authorised to speak to the media. In a statement, Galgotias University apologised for the confusion and claimed that the representative was “ill-informed”.
“We at Galgotias University wish to apologise profusely for the confusion created at the recent AI Summit. One of our representatives, manning the pavilion, was ill-informed. She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and, in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information, even though she was not authorised to speak to the Press,” the institute said.
(IANS)
