LSE Student Union "accepted that the bullying...happened," says Indian student disqualified from college elections

London [UK], April 8 (ANI): Indian student Karan Kataria, who hails from Gurugram on Friday alleged that he was disqualified from the Law School of London School of Economics elections and said that LSE Student Union "accepted that the bullying and defamation happened."

In an exclusive interview with ANI, he said, "I approached the LSE Student Union to come out and help me but they turned a blind eye that this is not related to the election and it doesn't have any relation with any of the candidates. They accepted that the bullying and defamation happened.......they haven't come out with a public statement condemning this rather, they disqualified me from the campaign....."

Kataria alleged that there is discrimination on the basis of religion and anti-India rhetoric prevalent on the campus. Kataria, who hails from Haryana and is pursuing an LLM from LSE's school of law, was disqualified over what he calls "baseless allegations."

"A smear campaign was launched against me on 24th March, going on to my character assassination, to defamation. WhatsApp groups of many societies & departmental groups were flooded with the forward messages terming me as Islamophobic, transphobic and racist," said Kataria.

Kataria was disqualified from running for General Secretary of at London of School of Economic Student's Union (LSESU) for alleged links with the Hindu nationalists.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal condemned the incident and wrote to the Indian High Commission in UK regarding a probe into the incident and Karan Kataria's safety.

"Karan Kataria is a law student studying in UK, he enrolled himself to contest in the student elections but he was disqualified citing a reason that is so low standard. I have condemned the incident, wrote to the High Commission there regarding a probe into the incident and Karan Kataria's safety. They have responded and have assured that they won't let this happen and look into it.....I met his family and have assured all the help from my side," said Khattar.

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Karan Kataria, a Lawyer pursuing Masters in the LSE campus and running for the General Secretary of the LSE Student Union, claimed that he was disqualified from fighting for the General Secretary post for being a "Hindu nationalist".

"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," he alleged in a tweet.

A statement, that Kataria shared on his Twitter account, read that, 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.

He further stated that his friends and classmates motivated him for running the election but, "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".

"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 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 a statement.

He also urged the LSE leadership to support him and ensure justice prevails in the interest of all students. "Let us uphold the values of Dr BR Ambedkar's alma mater and ensure that all voices are heard on this big, diverse campus," the statement read.

Meanwhile, on Monday, 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. (ANI)