‘We're treated badly’: 1st Indian to head Oxford's student body in tell-all book

Rashmi Samant told news agency ANI that "Bharatiya students" face a lot of discrimination and hatred which is not discussed openly in public.

After becoming the first Indian to be elected as the president of the Oxford Student Union (SU), Rashmi Samant revealed that the she faced racism at the institution. In her tell-all book titled ‘A Hindu in Oxford,’ Rashmi Samant detailed her experience of being allegedly targeted and singled by her professors at the university. She claimed that her professors questioned her holding the office of president citing her religious and ethnic backgrounds.

A man walks in front of the buildings of Oxford University.(Reuters)

Rashmi Samant told news agency ANI that "Bharatiya students" face a lot of discrimination and hatred which is not discussed openly in public. When she stepped down from her post in February 2021, the matter would have reached the stage of “conviction if they had not found somebody who looked an Indian to take over (from her),” she said.

On her successor Avnee Bhutani saying that Rashmi Samant didn't face any discrimination on grounds of her nationality and ethnicity, she said, “Avnee is doing a disservice to the movement (on campus) by playing down the trauma that somebody else has lived through. She has no proof to back her claim. It was an act to defame me and to play down the seriousness of racism abroad for ulterior motives. During the British era also we saw a lot of people from Bharitya origin who used to defend the British as it was something positive for the Indian people. All they are doing is lying and lapping up to the expectations of the British."

On Rishi Sunak becoming UK PM Rashmi Samant said, “Our people are fighters and Sunak, too, became the Prime Minister after overcoming serious odds. However, he earned the respect and trust of fellow politicians and world leaders and is now working to take the country forward with full support of the people. Our people are treated very badly and are always discriminated against. We never take it as an excuse not to excel. We do not cry. We do not become crybabies. Instead, we fight it and give it back to their face.”

Praising PM Modi, she said, “Finally, we have a seat with the Western countries. America and the UK respect us, Canada fears us, and we have great relations with Europe. What we often neglect to see is how Modi ji has also brought the African Union. That is the mark of a true leader who is willing to uplift so many. We should take pride in that we took G20 to G21.”