The Indian Panorama

Tag: Rashmi Samant

  • Indian-Origin Student Anvee Bhutani Elected Oxford Student Union President in Byelection 

    Indian-Origin Student Anvee Bhutani Elected Oxford Student Union President in Byelection 

    LONDON (TIP): An Indian-origin Human Sciences student from Magdalen College at the University of Oxford has been declared the winner at the end of a Student Union (SU) byelection. Anvee Bhutani, Co-Chair Campaign for Racial Awareness and Equality (CRAE) at Oxford SU and President of the Oxford India Society, was in the fray for the byelection for the 2021-22 academic year, which attracted a record turnout.

    She was declared the winner on Thursday, May 2nd night.

    According to the ‘Cherwell’ student newspaper, Anvee Bhutani had used her manifesto to detail priorities of campaigning for the implementation of the Oxford living wage, delinking welfare services and disciplinary action, and diversifying the curriculum.

    “Use suggestions from student campaigns to work with initiatives like the Oxford and Colonialism hub to push for a more diverse curriculum,” reads her winning manifesto.

    “Lobby for more funding towards existing mental health support programs including for graduate students; work towards more access and lower wait times for university counselling services,” it notes.

    According to the student newspaper, the voting had the highest-ever turnout for a byelection and has also beaten the overall turnout for several past annual leadership elections as 2,506 people turned out to vote, a 146 per cent increase from the last byelection in 2019.

    The leadership contest also had the highest number of candidates ever in an Oxford SU President election, with 11 students running for the spot.

    The byelection followed the resignation of Indian student Rashmi Samant, who was forced to step down soon after her election to the post in February amid a row over her past social media posts.

  • Indian –origin Oxford University student’s alleged cyber bullying probe begins

    Indian –origin Oxford University student’s alleged cyber bullying probe begins

    Nirpal S. Shergill

    LONDON (TIP): The University of Oxford on Tuesday, March 23, said a probe is underway and that it “investigates thoroughly” every complaint related to harassment or equality, following allegations of cyber bullying surrounding Rashmi Samant, the first Indian woman to be elected President of the Oxford Student Union (SU) who was forced to resign amidst controversy over some of her past social media posts. Some British Hindu groups have also raised concerns around comments made online by a university staffer from the history faculty with the local Thames Valley Police, urging an investigation into a possible hate crime.

    The police force confirmed that it has “received a report of an alleged hate incident”. The comments under scrutiny, posted with an image of Samant’s family on Instagram by Dr Abhijit Sarkar, made references to their Hindu faith and also categorized their home state of Karnataka as a “bastion of Islamophobic forces”.

    “An investigation into these online comments is ongoing and we must allow time for this formal process to be followed. In cases such as these, student support is provided through their college and department,” an Oxford University spokesperson said.

    “The university is fully committed to creating an environment where people of all backgrounds, including our Hindu students and staff, can feel welcome, valued and respected,” the university said, adding that it has strong policies in place to protect staff and students against “all forms of harassment, including online harassment”.

    Samant has been working on completing her MSc course in Energy Systems at the university remotely from her hometown in Udupi, after she flew back to India in the wake of her resignation.

    She said the continued “cyber bullying” makes it difficult for her to consider returning to the university at this stage.

    “I’m just very glad that the university and the police have launched an investigation into my complaint, and I look forward to resolving it in the best manner possible,” said Samant, in a statement from India.

    “I think it’s a long road for me to feel safe about the prospect of coming back and getting respite from the cyber bullying,” she said, adding that the Indian community in the UK had been “super supportive” through the course of the incident since last month. The issue even found its way to the Indian Parliament last week, when BJP MP Ashwini Vaishnav raised it as a question of “racial discrimination” in the Rajya Sabha.

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had responded to say that India would “never ever turn our eyes away from racism wherever it is” and that these developments will be monitored “very, very closely”.

    This resulted in a joint statement from the Oxford India Society, Oxford University Hindu Society and Oxford South Asian Society against what they branded a “misleading narrative” being played out in India.

    “We reiterate that these calls [Samant’s resignation] did not have anything to do with the fact that she is Indian or Hindu or a woman,” the statement reads.

    However, the groups agreed that the faculty member at the center of the controversial online comments must apologize for his social media posts.

    “We further strongly disapprove of the actions of Dr Abhijit Sarkar, Postdoctoral History Researcher at New College. Dr Sarkar’s social media posts about Ms Samant’s parents and their religious beliefs had no place in a conversation about Ms Samant’s reprehensible actions… It is imperative that Dr Sarkar take responsibility for his words and apologize to Ms Samant,” the statement adds.

    Earlier this month, the online remarks of the staffer were raised by a former Oxford University alumnus and British Indian entrepreneur Alpesh Patel, who had issued a formal complaint to the Vice-Chancellor’s office.

    “This matter deserves a police investigation into the bullies on incitement to racial hatred,” said Alpesh Patel, Chair of the City Hindus Network (CHN).

    Satish K Sharma, Senior Managing Director of the Global Hindu Federation, has taken up the matter of following up on the police complaint and accused the faculty member of “unlawful conduct and inexcusable bigotry”.

    “Rest assured that the British Hindu community will persist until a just conclusion has been reached,” he said.

  • Indian – Origin Rashmi Samant resigns as Oxford Student Union President-elect amidst row over her past remarks

    Indian – Origin Rashmi Samant resigns as Oxford Student Union President-elect amidst row over her past remarks

    Nirpal Singh Shergill

    LONDON (TIP)(TIP): Rashmi Samant, who made Oxford University history as the first Indian woman to be elected President of the Oxford Student Union (SU), has resigned from the post just days later amid controversy surrounding some of her past remarks and references. Some of Samant’s old social media posts had emerged, which were branded as “racist” and “insensitive”.

    These included a holocaust reference on a post during a visit to the Berlin Holocaust Memorial in Germany in 2017 and an Instagram caption on a picture of herself in Malaysia that read “Ching Chang”, which upset Chinese students.

    The 22-year-old also attracted criticism for a campaign post caption that separated women and trans women, with the Oxford LGBTQ+ campaign calling for her resignation.

    In an open letter published in the student newspaper ‘Cherwell’ earlier this week, Samant said: “Though the recent developments might make it hard for you to believe the sincerity of my apologies, it deeply pained me to note that I have lost the trust that the student community reposed in me with their votes and belief in my manifesto owing to my mistakes.

    “Regrettably, I alienated people within our wonderful student community to the extent that they deem me unfit to be the leader they rightfully deserve,” she said.

    “I sincerely apologize to every student who has been hurt by my actions or words and seek a chance to gain your trust in me again,” she added.

    However, the row continued to escalate and she found her position as President-elect untenable and stepped down.

    “In light of the recent events surrounding my election to the Presidency of the Oxford SU, I believe it is best for me to step down from the role. It has been an honor to be your President-elect,” she said in a statement on Facebook on Tuesday, later published in ‘The Oxford Student’.

    A by-election will now need to be held to elect a new president, with nominations re-opened, which means the fresh election will not be limited to just the previously unsuccessful candidates.

    The current 2020-21 officers of the Student Union said they “sincerely apologize for the hurt and discomfort caused by the actions of the President-elect”.

    “Oxford SU has a no-tolerance policy towards discrimination. Racism, trans phobia, and anti-Semitism have no place in our organization,” their statement read.

    Samant, from Udupi in Karnataka, has since left for India to be with her family amid deep regret and many of her social media accounts have since been deleted.

    Last week, the graduate student reading for an MSc in energy systems at Linacre College at Oxford University, scored a landslide win in the Oxford Student Union election.

    The Manipal Institute of Technology student’s Indian roots were referenced in her manifesto as she highlighted the need for greater “decolonization and inclusivity” on campus in the Oxford Student Union leadership election for the 2021-22 term.