London School of Economics student claims ‘disqualified from Union election for being ‘Hindu nationalist”

•       London School of Economics student on Twitter claimed that he was disqualified from the Union Election because of ‘anti-India rhetoric’.
• The Indian-origin student from the Law School of LSE said that he faced discrimination on the basis of religion and anti-India rhetoric prevalent on the campus.
• Karan Kataria, earlier was elected as the cohort’s Academic Representative and also as a Delegate to the National Union for Students in a short period.
• “Despite receiving immense support from students of all nationalities, I was disqualified from the General Secretary election of the LSE Student Union. The allegations against me ranged from being homophobic, Islamophobic, queerphobic, and Hindu Nationalist: He claimed.
• He also claimed that on the last polling day, Indian students were bullied and targeted for their national and Hindu religious identities.

London School of Economics student on Twitter claimed that he was disqualified from the Union Election because of ‘anti-India rhetoric’. He took to Twitter to share the disparity of getting disqualified from the Union Election for the reason being a ‘Hindu Nationalist. The Indian-origin student from the Law School of London School of Economics said that he faced discrimination on the basis of religion and anti-India rhetoric prevalent on the campus. Karan Kataria, a Lawyer pursuing Masters in the LSE campus and running for the General Secretary of the LSE Student Union.

“I have faced personal, vicious, and targeted attacks due to the anti-India rhetoric and Hindu phobia. I demand that the @lsesu is transparent about its reasoning. I will not be a SILENT victim of Hindu phobia,” he alleged in a tweet.  As per a statement he shared on his Twitter account earlier, he was elected as the cohort’s Academic Representative and also as a Delegate to the National Union for Students in a short period.

“Despite receiving immense support from students of all nationalities, I was disqualified from the General Secretary election of the LSE Student Union. The allegations against me ranged from being homophobic, Islamophobic, queerphobic, and Hindu Nationalist. Following it, multiple complaints were lodged against me. Many false accusations were made to discredit my image and character when, to the contrary, I have always advocated for positive change and social harmony,” Kataria added.

Calling the research’s decision a “gross violation of the principles of natural justice,” Kataria said the campus conveniently disqualified him without hearing his side of the story or revealing the votes that he received. He also claimed that on the last polling day, Indian students were bullied and targeted for their national and Hindu religious identities.

“The students raised this issue, but the LSESU brushed it aside by not acting against the bullies. The silent treatment of the students’ complaints about such unacceptable behaviour also justifies the accusation of Hinduphobia against the LSESU,” Kataria said in the statement.

Meanwhile, another LSE student Tejashwini Shankar alleged that she was being targeted for supporting Kataria in the students union election. She also claimed that she was being targeted based on her religious identity. “I have been targeted and taunted based on my religious identity and for supporting a friend in the student union elections. The Student Union refuses to take appropriate action,” she tweeted while sharing a video message.