Hindu students at various British Universities have launched a campaign against the controversial Hinduphobic faculty Abhijit Sarkar over his bigoted and derogatory comments targeting Hindus and their traditions.
Dr Abhijit Sarkar, the Oxford faculty member, had led the Hinduphobic campaign against Rashmi Sawant, the first female Indian student to be elected as President of the Oxford University Student’s Union. The hate campaign and targeted online abuse resulted in the resignation of Samant from the Student’s Union. The Oxford professor later found himself embroiled in controversy after several of his old misogynistic and vile tweets resurfaced on the internet.
@UniofOxford as a former Visiting Fellow at Oxford I find faculty exhibiting views like this overtly against my faith indeed any faith, obscene offensive and probably criminal incitement to hatred. No Vice Chancellor should permit this. pic.twitter.com/kxEwyGsf0k
— Alpesh B. Patel (@alpeshbp) March 1, 2021
Following Sarkar’s Hinduphobic rants and sexist comments targeting Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, a massive campaign was launched demanding the Oxford University to investigate Abhijit Sarkar’s nasty demeanour on social media and suspend him till the investigations are done. However, Oxford University failed to take any action against the Hinduphobic professor.
Continuing to demand action against Dr Abhijit Sarkar, the Hindu students of various British universities have now demanded strict action against the Hinduphobic professor and have also launched a campaign to express solidarity with Hindu voices on British campuses.
Hindu students are delivering flyers at New College, Oxford University, urging action against the bigoted and derogatory comments of Abhijit Sarkar. They ask, does Sarkar uphold the values of this prestigious college? pic.twitter.com/eCtnHrEFw3
— Hindu On Campus (@hinduoncampus) May 12, 2021
The Hindu students have said that the bigoted statements put out by Sarkar have compromised a safe space for Hindu students on Oxford university campuses. The Hindu students have asked the staff and students of New College of the Oxford University whether Sarkar upheld the values of the prestigious college by making such bigoted comments against Hindus.
We are proud to stand with the Hindu voices on campus who are raising awareness and urging Oxford to investigate. A diverse coalition of Hindus are standing together today. #HindusAgainstHate
— Hindu On Campus (@hinduoncampus) May 12, 2021
“We are proud to stand with the Hindu voices on campus who are raising awareness and urging Oxford to investigate. A diverse coalition of Hindus are standing together today,” said the student-activist group Hindus on Campus. The ‘Hindus on Campus’ is a student-led movement that strives for creating a safe space for diaspora Hindus to share their experiences with anti-Hindu bigotry and standing together against racism.
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa writes letter to Oxford University
Last week, Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa wrote a letter to Liesl Elder, a senior official at Oxford University, in order to draw attention to the harassment suffered by Rashmi Samant. Condemning the vitriolic attack on Rashmi Samant by the varsity’s faculty member Dr Abhijit Sarkar, the Karnataka CM had said that such systematic targeting of Indian overseas students was a matter of grave concern and as Chief Minister, it made him worried.
In his letter, Yediyurappa had said that Dr Abhijit Sarkar had stalked Rashmi Samant and attacked her and her family for their Hindu faith. He also said that the attacks on her were “highly objectionable and discriminatory”. He also accused Sarkar of defaming coastal Karnataka by calling it Islamophobic.
He urged the University to ensure the safety of Rashmi Samant and her family and take expeditious and stringent action against people harassing her.
The Oxford racism row
Rashmi Samant was hounded by leftists and anti-Hindu propagandists after becoming the first female Indian elect of Oxford University Student’s Union on February 11. She was forced to resign within days after being abused, bullied and targeted for being a Hindu and over her views against British colonisation.
In a coordinated attack, her old social media posts were dredged up, accusing her of being racist, anti-semitic, Islamophobic, transphobic over trivial comments. Besides this, Rashmi was also targeted for being a Hindu. One of the faculty members in Oxford – Dr Abhijit Sarkar had even dragged Rashmi’s parents into the controversy, attacking them for having a Lord Shri Ram display picture on their social media accounts while claiming that Rashmi’s student council elections were funded by Prime Minister Modi.
He had even accused Rashmi of being Islamophobic by alleging that she came from coastal Karnataka, which the faculty member termed as “a bastion of Islamophobic far-right forces”. Following the controversy, netizens from across the world had demanded the dismissal of Hinduphobic faculty AbhijitSarkar and had trended hashtag #DismissAbhijitSarkar on Twitter.
