What if the chief guest of an event arrived on time only to find an empty venue?
On April 11, 2026, Smita Prakash, an Indian journalist and Editor-in-Chief at Asian News International, arrived at Miranda House, Delhi University, as the chief guest for an event where she reportedly found no audience or faculty present, leading to a public controversy between the two parties.
What Really Happened
On the morning of 11 April 2026, ANI editor Smita Prakash, who was invited to Miranda House as the Chief Guest by the MUN Club, Suvakta, posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) that neither students nor faculty members were present on time at the venue to greet her. Following this, the journalist left the event.
Further, Prakash took to X, saying, “To the Principal, staff and students of Miranda College, Delhi University, you need to respect the Chief Guest you invite for your events. I was there for a no-show! I have posted the videos and pix here so that you learn that tardiness equals disrespect. No staff and 4-5 students.”
She also posted a video for the same, stating, “So here I am in Miranda College at Delhi University, invited for an event for which I’m the Chief Guest, supposed to start at 11 am. It’s 10:58 am when I am recording this, not a single staff member is here.
The convener is supposedly stuck in traffic on a Saturday, but they’re not ready to start the show. Why? Because nobody has arrived and I, as a Chief Guest, have come 2-5 minutes before the time.”
Both Sides of the Coin
Unsurprisingly, the internet had opinions. Some people sided with Smita, showing sympathy towards the editor and ridiculing the lack of proper arrangements. Some even raised questions about punctuality and professionalism, with differing opinions emerging on both sides of the issue.
Reacting to the incident, a user wrote, “Where there is no basic etiquette left, meeting students would have been a greater disrespect for Ms. Smita. God Saved her. I doubt a bigger plot to it.” Another one commented, “I agree. If Miranda House didn’t like her or its authorities knew she was unpopular among the students, why did it invite her in first place?”
However, this controversy didn’t stop after the editor’s post on X (formerly Twitter) went viral. Following Smita’s post, many other student attendees of the event shared their own views and painted a wider picture of what really happened.
Read More: Why Are Students Worldwide Shouting ‘6-7’ In Classrooms, Leading To Ban By Teachers?
The President of the organising club, Suvakta, told DU Beat, an independent student newspaper, “We were very disappointed, and we even apologised, but unfortunately, the session could not begin. People were very disappointed, so of course, we had to issue a wider apology as well. The formal apology was issued officially by our club at around 4 in the evening.”
Writing to the Public Relations Head of the MUN Club, an attendee of the event said, “The guest entered and exited all in the course of 10 minutes…she posted a video saying there was no audience. We were right outside waiting.”
While another student wrote, “I was super excited about the speaker session because I myself aspire to be a journalist. It was a space filled with [young women and men], and many of us admire and learn from such a public figure. It was so disheartening to see her act like this.”
Following multiple discussions on social media, Smita Prakash took to X to publicly accept the apology. She wrote, “Thank you Miranda House, for this mail. Apology accepted. As we say in Punjabi, mitti pao. Wishing students and faculty the very best for the future.”
This incident showed how a small miscommunication quickly turned into a big controversy, leading to several opinions for and against the issue. Both sides presented their own versions of the event to highlight why clear communication, planning, and mutual understanding are important.
This is also a good reminder that in the age of social media, a small misunderstanding can quickly escalate into a big controversy that involves more than just the ones present.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Free Press Journal, DU Beat, The Siasat Daily
Find the blogger: @shubhangichoudhary_29
This post is tagged under: Miranda House controversy, Smita Prakash ANI, ANI editor controversy, Miranda House Delhi University, Smita Prakash viral video, Delhi University event controversy, DU student reactions, Miranda House apology, social media controversy India, college event miscommunication, viral news India 2026
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