Kamal Ghorui
Galgotias University on Wednesday found itself at the centre of a social media storm after releasing full-page advertisements in leading Indian newspapers claiming global recognition.The advertisements, which highlighted the university as “ranked globally” and “committed to making India proud”, triggered a wave of online criticism, with users flooding platforms with memes and sarcastic remarks.Many questioned the credibility of the claims, especially in light of a viral incident from the India AI summit that had already put the institution under scrutiny.Social media users were quick to mock the campaign. One user joked that the “two top universities” were “WhatsApp University and Galgotia University”.Others took a more critical tone, with comments suggesting reputational damage, saying people “laugh when they hear the name” and that parents would “think twice before admitting their children”.Several posts also sarcastically linked the university’s academic focus to memes, further amplifying the backlash.The outrage comes after an incident at the summit held at Bharat Mandapam, where the university was asked to vacate its stall, following allegations that a robotic dog displayed at its pavilion as an in-house innovation was actually a commercially available product.Observers identified the robot, showcased as “Orion,” as the Unitree Go2, developed by Chinese robotics company Unitree Robotics.Critics argued that showcasing an imported product as indigenous innovation at a flagship national AI event raised serious concerns about transparency and credibility.Following scrutiny, officials allegedly cut power to the university’s pavilion after asking it to leave the expo.During an interaction with DD News during the AI Summit, Professor Neha Singh had described the robot as a product of the university’s AI investments, claiming it could perform surveillance and monitoring tasks and was developed in-house.
