Following the complaints of an Indian-origin postgraduate law student Karan Kataria about facing discrimination and harassment at the London School of Economics, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar wrote a letter to LSE and said that Haryana’s Karan Kataria is a brilliant student but he is feeling unsafe due to recent incidents. The CM further said that Kataria’s disqualification from the students’ union election was not substantiated by reasons and was done due to "discrimination on account of race and beliefs".
Karan Kataria is a Lawyer pursuing Masters in the LSE campus and running for the General Secretary of the LSE Student Union. Khattar’s letter mentioned that his mother and sister met him and his mother was in severe mental distress because of what happened. “Thank you for this intervention, @mlkhattar ji. I am a proud Bharatiya, and your support means a lot to me and my family!” Karan Kataria tweeted.
The Vice Chancellor-elect of the LSE , Eric Neumayer, wrote to Khattar and said LSE does not tolerate any incident of bullying, discrimination, and harassment. On the disqualification of Karan Kataria, Neumayer said the students' union informed the authorities that the candidate was disqualified from the leadership election for "breaking election rules".
"...we understand an external review of the election proceedings will take place in due course," Neumayer wrote assuring Khattar that the wellbeing of Kataria will be taken care of. Based on news reports, several BJP leaders accused an LSE professor who is believed to be close to the Congress of running a hate campaign against Kataria. Kataria alleged that there is discrimination on the basis of religion and anti-India rhetoric prevalent on the campus.
He took to Twitter on Sunday and 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 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 a statement, as quoted by ANI. 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.