Alumni have no birthright to gatecrash: Valson Thampu

St. Stephen’s College principal Valson Thampu on Monday said its alumni have no right to “gatecrash” the institution and that he will not risk the security by letting the “trespassers footloose and fancy-free” on the campus.

Prof. Thampu made these comments in the wake of a controversy after some alumni including noted historian Ramachandra Guha and chief economic adviser to the government of India Arvind Subramanian were denied entry into the premises to attend a condolence meeting for a popular dhaba owner last week.

“They think that Stephen’s is their public thoroughfare! As if someone has conferred on them the birthright to gatecrash the campus. It is a campus where a large number of students lives. I cannot let these trespassers footloose and fancy-free on the campus, risking everything,” said Prof. Thampu, who has a running battle with a section of alumni critical of him.

“I would have appreciated the hit-and-run organisers of this devious charade if they had announced that the programme was meant to mock the college, to defy the authority of the Principal and to outrage the inviolability of the campus,” he said.

Sixty-five-year-old Rohtas, who was loved by generations of Stephen’s alumni, 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.

Lashing out at historian Guha, Prof. Thampu said, “Guha claimed that I am a fascist because I was not at the gate to usher him in when he came uninvited with the express intention to gatecrash. He and his gang were simply trespassers. No permission was sought to hold any meeting on the college campus by any of them.”

Questioning the need to organise a condolence meet for Rohtas, Prof. Thampu said, “How come a samosa-wallah is so important Rohtas’ claim to a honorary status is that he supplied samosa and nimbu paani to these persons of privilege.”