The India AI Impact Summit 2026, in New Delhi last week, was ostensibly a gathering of industry hands from global and Indian technology communities, and showcased to the general public to inculcate an awareness of the tech phenomenon that is already revolutionising economies worldwide. But the summit also revealed an unedifying aspect of officialdom and exhibitionism. This was evident when a private university participating in the convention falsely claimed a Chinese-made robot to be its own development. Or in how “VIPs” and various functionaries hogged the limelight and blocked product developers and AI enthusiasts from attending the summit on some days. Then there was a protest by some activists of the Indian Youth Congress (of the Congress party) who staged a non-violent “flash mob”-like protest against the India-U.S. interim trade deal. These events only reflected the underbelly of technological promotion in India and its politicisation, as both the BJP-led government and the Opposition sought to use the glare over the summit for publicity rather than public interest. Granted, the Congress party’s use of the summit’s media coverage and the venue to stage a protest was inappropriate. But the Delhi police, which arrested the activists in the protest, has also blown the actions out of proportion by registering charges that range from rioting, promoting enmity between groups, making assertions prejudicial to national integration, criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly and common intention. The flurry of arrests also triggered an unprecedented standoff between the Delhi and Himachal Pradesh police following the detention of some of the activists in Shimla.