Many Indians dream of studying abroad to further their prospects. To students of commerce and political sciences, the London School of Economics is nothing short of the Mecca. The premier institute for higher education in its field, LSE is the alma mater of some of the most celebrated intellectuals in the history of the world. One such student named Karan Kataria stood in the recent elections for the post of general secretary for the LSE student’s union but was disqualified by the election committee.
Kataria is listed in the LSE database as an LLM student and also is the founder of the Pukaar Foundation. As an LSE student, he is also a part of the dean’s list scholarship, secretary to the NCU-legal aid society and the founder of the university’s heritage club. To top that he was also the editor of the NCU-law review. It is evident that Kataria is not a student who has faded into the background at LSE but is an active member of the community. Kataria has alleged that he was wrongly accused of being Islamophobic and deemed as a right-wing Hindu nationalist. These false notions, he says, are the reason why his application for general secretary was made null and void. Why is a student who engages positively with the university and his community being treated in such a manner?
The LSE in its official statement has said that the decision to remove Kataria from the election has nothing to do with his religion and country of origin. According to LSE the decision was taken because Kataria was in violation of their election policies which state that he is not allowed to make contact with students while they cast their vote. Not only that but when Kataria exercised his right to contest the decision, the committee in charge of the investigation found no irregularities.
Kataria on the other hand alleges that he was removed from the running with no evidence proving allegations against him. The whole ordeal has become a battle of wills in which Karan Kataria hopes to come out on top.