The discrimination, abuse and harassment faced by Karan Katariya, an Indian student at the London School of Economics due to his ethnicity and religious beliefs is an extremely disgraceful and unfortunate occurrence. Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, as the largest and the most prominent student organisation of Indian students, believes that students must be treated in a dignified, democratic manner following broader human values. ABVP has been participating in and has won various students’ union elections across the length and breadth of India, and has stood for the maintenance of democratic ethos and to ensure that proper respect is accorded to diversity on campuses.
India, being the mother of democracy and the largest democracy has shown the world the way forward by ensuring equitable opportunity and representation to all, across the cultural and social spectrums, in various fields. ABVP is of the view that students must be treated as an important stakeholders in academic institutions and their opinions shall be accorded proper consideration. An educational institution must ensure that its diversity, of culture, ideology and opinion must be taken into account and its activities must be carried out such that no one is discriminated against.
Yagyawalkya Shukla, National General Secretary, ABVP said, “The harassment faced by an Indian student, Karan Katariya, for his nationality, religious identity and ideology is unfortunate and must be condemned. Students are important stakeholders in academic institutions. An institute like the London School of Economics must ensure that no student is discriminated against based on their nationality or religious and ideological views. ABVP, as the foremost representative of the Indian student community, appeals to the global student community that they stand in favour of Karan Katariya being behaved in a manner in line with the democratic ethos. “