Rashmi Samant

Rashmi Samant is an Indian author and former president of the Oxford University Student Union (OUSU). In February 2021, she became the first Indian woman to be elected for the position of president of the OUSU. She resigned five days later after old social media posts she had made were criticised. Samant disputed this characterisation describing the backlash as racially motivated "cyber lynching". Since 2021, Samant has published two books, including a memoir AbOUT the controversy. She currently works as an executive director in the insurance broking industry.

Early life and education

Samant is from Udupi, Karnataka. She studied mechanical engineering at the Manipal Institute of Technology and then went on to do MSc in Energy systems from Linacre College, Oxford University.

Elections

Samant was elected president of the OUSU on 11 february 2021, winning 1,966 of a possible 3,708 votes. She became the first Indian woman to hold the position. Her election maifesto called for the "decolonisation" of the university syllabi, removal of "imperialist" associated statues on campus, action on institutional homophobia and transphobia, and improved access to mental health resources.

Resignation

5 days after her election, a number of Samant's social media posts resurfaced and drew criticism from Oxford's Campaign for Racial Awareness and Equality (CRAE), and the Oxford LGBTQ+ society they described her posts as racist, anti semitic and transphobic.

Samant published an open apology on 16 February 2021, writing, "I sincerely apologise to every student who has been hurt by my action or words and seek a chance to gain your trust in me again."

Investigation

Oxford University concluded its investigation into the case of alleged bullying faced by Rashmi Samant, 22, the former president-elect of Oxford University Student Union (OUSU). Samant’s lawyer, Adhitya Srinivasan, confirmed the conclusion of the investigation. Without giving out details of the investigation. Srinivasan said that he was pleased with the outcome of the investigation, adding that he was precluded from saying anything more.

Reactions

In the weeks following her resignation Samant appeared in a number of interviews describing her treatment as a racially motivated "cyber lynching". She said "racism now does not overtly but in covert behaviors", maintaining that her posts were "not malicious or racist". She said that she was unfairly targeted and her family members being dragged into the controversy unnecessarily by internet bullies including a faculty member.

Around the same time, Abhijit Sarkar, a postdoctoral history researcher at Oxford's New College with a history of social media outbursts, wrote that Samant's conduct was "typical of far-right forces in India" and he shared a photograph of her parents framed with "Jai Shri Ram" slogan which he said showed "celebrating the destruction of a Mosque in India". He said that followers of 'Sanatan Dharma' of Hinduism should not be allowed to become OUSU leaders. The Oxford University Hindu Society disapproved of Sarkar's behaviour and demanded that he apologise to Samant and resign from his position as a member of the university's faculty. A petition signed by 44,000 people called for his removal and Thames Valley Police opened an investigation after Satish Sharma, from the Global Hindu Federation filed a complaint on Samant's behalf citing bullying and incitement of religious hatred.

The controversy was also raised in the Indian parliament by External Affairs Minister Dr. S.Jaishankar who said that India would "never turn our eyes away from racism". IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw described her treatment as a "continuation of attitudes of prejudices from the colonial areas."

In a joint statement released by independent-student groups The Oxford India Society, Oxford Hindu Society and Oxford South Asian Society, they explained that neither Samant's nationality nor her religion were reasons that prompted the calls for her resignation. They were not driven by "an element of racial profiling" but rather her 2017 social media posts.

Post-Oxford life

Since returning to india, Samant has worked as an executive director in the insurance broking industry and has authored two books. Her book A Hindu in Oxford, is a recollection of the 2021 controversy and the title of the other book is, Ram Janmabhoomi. A Hindu in Oxford garnered positive reception from BJP, RSS and Congress party's women wing 'Mahila Aayog'.