Europe News Desk!! An Indian student pursuing post-graduate studies at the London School of Economics (LSE) has alleged that he has been subjected to personal, vicious and targeted attacks due to anti-India rhetoric and Hinduphobia prevalent on the campus. Karan Kataria (22) from Gurugram said he was disqualified from his candidature for the general secretaryship of the LSE Students’ Union (LSESU) because of his Indian and Hindu identity. When I started my post-graduate studies at LSE, I sincerely hoped to pursue and fulfill my passion for student welfare, she said in a statement posted on Twitter. But my dreams were shattered when a deliberate slander campaign was launched against me solely because of my Indian and Hindu identity.
Kataria, who was pursuing his Masters at the LSE campus, was also briefly elected as a representative of the National Union for Students and was inspired by his peers to run for the post of general secretary of the LSESU. “Unfortunately, some people could not see an Indian-Hindu leading the LSESU and resorted to defaming my character and identity, clearly in line with the dangerous culture that permeates our social communities,” she said in a statement. is defaming Kataria further said that despite receiving immense support from students of all nationalities, he was disqualified from the general secretary election of LSESU.
According to him, several complaints were launched against him and he was accused of being homophobic, Islamophobic, queerphobic and a Hindu nationalist. Instead of identifying and punishing the wrong-doers who started this vile campaign, LSESU undemocratically canceled my candidature without providing any evidence against me, Kataria said. He also said that on the last polling day, Indian students were threatened and targeted for their national and Hindu religious identity. The students raised the issue, but LSESU brushed it off by not taking action against the bullies. Tejaswini Shankar, another LSE student, in a video message posted on Twitter, alleged that she was being targeted for supporting Kataria in the student union elections.
“I have been targeted and taunted for my religious identity and for supporting a friend in the student union elections,” she tweeted. The student union refused to take appropriate action. This is bullying and harassment at the highest level of international institutions that pride themselves on inclusivity and diversity and I strongly condemn the inaction by the LSE regarding the same. Kataria has urged the LSE leadership to support him and ensure justice in the interest of all students. LSE has approximately 11,000 students of whom over 60 per cent come from outside the UK.
–IANS
SKK/SKP
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