Stephen’s alumni stopped from attending prayer meet on campus

Noted alumni of St Stephen’s college including historian Ramachandra Guha and Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian were denied entry to the campus to attend a condolence meeting for a popular dhaba owner Rohtas, as no prior permission was sought for it.

College principal Valson Thampu said the college was not a “public park” anyone could walk in without following the protocol. Rohtas (65), who was loved by generations of Stephen’s alumni for his samosa and gulab jamuns, died last week due to tuberculosis and pneumonia. Around 100 alumni of the institution had gathered outside the campus on Saturday for a prayer meet for Rohtas, but they were denied entry by the guards.

Rohit Bansal, a former trustee of the St Stephen’s College Alumni Foundation Trust, who was among those who had gone to pay tributes to Rohtas, said they were not allowed to go for the prayer meeting and were told to state a different purpose for the visit.

“We were 100 alumni, including Ramachandra Guha and Subramanian, waiting at the main gate around 2 pm when we were denied entry. We called a few teachers, who suggested that we should enter from other gates and not mention prayer meet as a reason for our visit,” Bansal alleged. Later, Guha and Subramanian were able to enter the college, he added.

Defending the move, Thampu said, “If they are alumni of the college they should know that there are certain protocols that are followed due to security reasons. Also, no permission for holding such an event on the college premises was sought, so anybody who would visit without prior information will be denied entry."