Indian student alleges ‘Hinduphobia', 'anti-India rhetoric’ in London School of Economics

NEW DELHI: Karan Kataria, an Indian postgraduate law student at the London School of Economics and Political Science, has alleged that he has been disqualified from the student union elections owing to his “Indian and Hindu identity”. The student who hails from Haryana was contesting for the post of general secretary at the LSE Student Union (LSESU). According to the university, Kataria breached election rules and therefore, his candidature was cancelled.

Kataria took to his Twitter page to narrate his ordeal where he claimed prevalence of ‘anti-India rhetoric” and “Hinduphobia” in LSE campus. In a letter titled, “Injustice knows no boundaries..”, the student demanded justice and transparency from the college administration. “I have faced personal, vicious, and targeted attacks due to the anti-India rhetoric and Hinduphobia. I demand that the lsesu is transparent about its reasoning,” said Kataria in a tweet on April 2.

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Kataria was previously elected as the academic representative as well as a delegate to the national union for students for a short period of time. The student said that, observing his engagement in student welfare, his peers encouraged him to contest for the post of general secretary. This was not liked by some people at the campus, he alleged.

“Unfortunately, some individuals could not bear to see an Indian-Hindu leading the LSESU and resorted to vilifying my character and very identity in what was clearly in line with the alarming cancel culture which is uprooting our social communities,” Kataria said in the letter.

'Undemocractic, Hinduphobic' union

Kataria argued that he was disqualified from the post despite getting support from students of all nationalities. According to him, the allegations against him were homophobic, islamophobic, queerphobic, and Hindu nationalist and complaints were registered. He claimed that false accusations were used to discredit his image while he only advocated for positive change and social harmony.

Kataria further alleged that LSESU, instead of identifying the punishing those who did wrong, cancelled his candidature without providing any proof or evidence in support of the allegations against him. “This decision is a gross violation of the principles of natural justice. The LSESU conveniently disqualified me without hearing my side of the story or revealing the votes I received,” Kataria added.

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The student also claimed that Indian students were bullied and targeted for their national and religious identities on the last polling day. Despite students’ complaints, the LSESU didn’t act which justifies it being ‘Hinduphobic’, he said.

“As a social sciences student, I strongly believe in upholding the democratic values and respecting personal opinions and ideologies of others. However, the LSESU’s actions show an authoritaria, undemocratic, xenophobic, and biased mindset that cannot digest social harmony, diversity, and an engaging Indian-Hindu student,” Kataria declared in his statement.

I have faced personal, vicious, and targeted attacks due to the anti-India rhetoric and Hinduphobia. I demand that the @lsesu is transparent about its reasoning.

I will not be a SILENT victim of Hinduphobia.
@LSEnews @HCI_London @BobBlackman pic.twitter.com/65LKaFAI7J

— Karan Kataria (@karanatLSE) April 2, 2023

LSE Students Union says ‘rules breached’

On April 3, LSESU published an official statement on the official website of the university wherein it claimed that Kataria breached election rules and he was given an opportunity to make an appeal, however, the democracy committee examined his appeal and upheld the decision to disqualify him.

“The #LeadLSE Elections at The London School of Economics Students’ Union (LSESU) operates in a fair and democratic manner, where all candidates are governed by a clear set of policies, procedures, protocols and election rules. Unfortunately, this year the election rules have been breached by a candidate, resulting in LSESU taking the difficult decision to disqualify them from this year’s Leadership Race for the position of General Secretary,” said the union in an official statement.

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According to the students’ union, Kataria broke the rule which reads, "Candidates and campaigners must maintain a reasonable distance (around 2 metres) from anyone who is casting their vote. You cannot, under any circumstances, stand over a student or talk to them while they are voting – even if they ask you for help. If they are struggling to vote, take them to an SU polling station or ask them to email us."

LSESU further said that it will be conducting an external review and will try to update the community accordingly as some candidates were affected by the incident.