On the intervening night of 17 February and 18 February, Galgotias University played the victim card, claiming a “negative propaganda campaign” against it after facing backlash over showcasing a Chinese robot dog as part of its AI ecosystem at the AI Impact Summit 2026. However, its own earlier statements, a now-deleted DD India video, and a press release distributed by the university via NewsVoir tell a very different story.
— Galgotias University (@GalgotiasGU) February 17, 2026
The ‘negative propaganda’ post and sudden denial
In its latest press release, the university stated, “We at Galgotias, faculty and students, are deeply pained by the propaganda campaign against our university.”
It claimed that the robotic programming initiative was simply about giving students exposure to AI using “globally available tools and resources” and warned that “spreading negativity can harm the morale of students”.
In an earlier clarification issued the same evening, Galgotias asserted, “Let us be clear Galgotias has not built this robodog, neither have we claimed.” It described the Unitree robodog as a learning tool and insisted that the university never presented it as an indigenous development.
— Galgotias University (@GalgotiasGU) February 17, 2026
The university claimed that it never “claimed” to have built the robodog. The problem is that the public record says otherwise.
What DD India showed before deleting the video
In a now-deleted DD India video from the AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, Professor Neha Singh of Galgotias University was seen stating that the robotic dog was developed by the “Centre of Excellence” at the university. A clip of the deleted video is being widely shared on social media.
The original clip was aired and widely circulated before it was quietly deleted. The presentation at the summit projected the robodog not merely as a purchased device, but as part of the university’s own development ecosystem.
सरकारी दूरदर्शन चैनल से गलगोटिया यूनिवर्सिटी ने इंटरनेशनल रायता फैला दिया… यह सब कुछ तब हुआ जब AI समिट का आयोजन देश की राजधानी में हो रहा है गलगोटिया का आविष्कार…फजीहत करवाए इंटरनेशनल बाज़ार…
— आदित्य तिवारी / Aditya Tiwari (@aditytiwarilive) February 17, 2026
DD न्यूज़ ने खबर डिलीट कर दी, गलगोटिया वाले रायता समेटने के लिए चैट GPT का… pic.twitter.com/FC33dNez7l
In the deleted DD News video, at 50 seconds, Professor Neha Singh asks the journalist to meet the robot dog Orion, and says, “This has been developed at the centre of excellence at Galgotias University.”
Rs 350 crore AI ecosystem and the ORION rebranding
Interestingly, the university’s own press release, distributed by NewsVoir, adds to the contradiction. Under the headline, “Galgotias University Pavilion Emerges as a Key Attraction at AI Impact Summit 2026 with Rs. 350+ Crore AI Showcase”, the university claimed to have presented a “comprehensive Rs. 350+ crore Artificial Intelligence ecosystem”.
Galgotias University Pavilion Emerges As A Key Attraction At AI Impact Summit 2026 pic.twitter.com/nOYU56neFl
— Galgotias University (@GalgotiasGU) February 16, 2026
A “major crowd puller” at the pavilion, the release said, was ORION, Operational Robotic Intelligence Node, which “interacted live with delegates and demonstrated applied robotics and intelligent systems integration”.
The Chinese Unitree robodog was thus rebranded as ORION and showcased as part of the university’s AI driven Centres of Excellence and infrastructure. What makes the situation worse is that the Unitree branding was reportedly still visible on the robot. In other words, the product was renamed without even removing the original manufacturer’s markings.
Government handles share DD News coverage of Galgotias’ false claim
The controversy escalated further when government social media handles shared videos that included the robodog. The amplification by government social media handles lent official weight to the impression that an Indian university had developed an advanced robotic platform as part of its Rs. 350+ crore AI investment push.
#WATCH | इंडिया एआई इम्पैक्ट समिट 2026 में Galgotias University ने £33 मिलियन का AI इकोसिस्टम प्रस्तुत किया
— Ministry of Electronics & IT (@GoI_MeitY) February 17, 2026
Orion रोबोटिक डॉग, iOS ऐप्स और 3D प्रिंटेड ड्रोन ने सभी का ध्यान खींचा DD News ने AI डॉग का लाइव प्रदर्शन भी दिखाया#IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #AIForAll #GlobalInnovation pic.twitter.com/1Kca6Hu5uU
After the false claims of Galgotias University were busted on social media, the government handles have taken down the posts too. Overall, the University seems to have taken everyone, including the DD News journalist and organisers of the event, for a ride.
Playing innocent after projection
There is no disputing the fact that universities import global technologies for learning. Galgotias itself wrote that “innovation knows no borders” and that students must be exposed to cutting edge tools. However, the issue is not procurement but projection.
At a major international summit, the Chinese robot by Unitree was renamed ORION, showcased as an indigenously developed product under a Rs. 350+ crore AI ecosystem banner, attributed to a Centre of Excellence, amplified by national media, and circulated by government handles. After that, to call criticism “negative propaganda” and claim that no such assertion was ever made stretches credibility.
Embarrassingly, Chinese handles have also picked up the incident and flagging how the University told blatant lies.
JUST IN 🇮🇳:
— China pulse 🇨🇳 (@Eng_china5) February 17, 2026
Prof. Neha Singh from the same university says that “Orion” was developed at the university’s Centre of Excellence, backed by ₹350 Cr (about $39M USD) invested in AI.https://t.co/6LAFOM3sJr pic.twitter.com/LDKblrjUuU
The drone soccer
Another claim that Galgotias University’s professor Neha Singh made while talking to DD News was about drone soccer. It is basically a drone fitted inside a ball.
She claimed, “From its end to end engineering to its application, everything has happened at the university. And this is India’s first drone soccer arena which you will get to see on the Galgotias campus. Here, students play games inside this arena. They fly it, enhance their flying skills, and are developing it further in new ways, making it stronger and adding more enhanced features.”
🚨 EXPOSED again on a global AI stage
— Mr Sharma (@sharma_views) February 18, 2026
Galgotias claimed “Built from scratch”
The drone matches the Striker V3 ARF model
Imported hardware presented as indigenous innovation
India’s credibility isn’t a marketing prop
Innovation demands proof 🎯 pic.twitter.com/7Z8FD0h6SG
However, social media users pointed out that the drone is strikingly similar to the Striker V3 ARF soccer drone sold by Skyball. It is used in drone games and is available for US$453.
Conclusion
The controversy is not about students learning from global technology or about universities procuring foreign hardware for academic use. The core issue is the manner in which the products were projected at the global platform as genuine innovation and subsequently defended when questioned. The university tried to give the impression that it had developed advanced technologies in house, which was not true. When scrutiny followed, the narrative shifted to denial and allegations of propaganda.
