Ranchi: Senior Congress leader and technocrat Sam Pitroda has alleged that his online speech at IIIT Ranchi was disrupted after someone hacked into the system and played pornographic content. Pitroda made the claim during an online discussion titled 'Conversation with Sam: Relevance of Gandhi in These Turbulent Times,' which he posted on X (formerly Twitter) on February 22.

Detailing the incident, Pitroda recounted that while addressing hundreds of students at IIIT Ranchi, an unidentified individual allegedly infiltrated the virtual event and began broadcasting explicit material, compelling the organisers to shut it down. "Recently, I was speaking at Ranchi IIT—to almost 100 students. Suddenly, someone hacked in and started showing pornographic content, and we had no choice but to turn it off. Now, is that democracy? Is that fair?" Pitroda remarked.

In the video, Pitroda in a seemingly misspeak, referred to the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Ranchi, as IIT Ranchi.

Have a look at the viral clip here:

The Congress leader cited the hacking episode as an example of how educational institutions are increasingly losing their democratic and independent character. He expressed disappointment at the incident, suggesting that such actions undermine the integrity of academic discussions and the free exchange of ideas.

Here's the full video of the conversation posted by Pitroda:

Although Pitroda did not elaborate on whether any formal complaints were filed, his remarks have sparked an online backlash. Several users took to X to criticise Pitroda's claims. Taking a dig at his misspeak, they also pointed out that there is no IIT in Ranchi; there's the IIIT, Ranchi.

One of the users wrote, "Sam Pitroda claims he was speaking at IIT Ranchi & some students played Porn by hacking link. Says this shows "there's no democracy". What has Democracy to do with this? And Ranchi doesn't have IIT, but IIIT!"

Have a look at some other reactions here:

So far, neither IIIT Ranchi nor law enforcement authorities have issued an official statement regarding the alleged breach.