Why did Indian students protest outside Oxford Union?
INSIGHT UK, an organisation for British Hindus and Indians, held a protest outside the Oxford Union on Thursday. They objected to a debate titled “this House believes in the independent state of Kashmir,’ alleging the inclusion of speakers with ties to terrorism.
The group chanted slogans like “It is known far and wide, Oxford Union stands on terrorists side” and “Bharat mata ki jai, vande matram”. INSIGHT UK wrote on social media, “Jammu Kashmir WAS India, Jammu Kashmir IS India, Jammu Kashmir WILL BE India.”
This protest followed a letter sent by INSIGHT UK to the Oxford Union on Thursday. The letter raised concerns about two invited speakers, Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur and Zafar Khan, who support Kashmiri independence.
The organization claimed both individuals have alleged links to extremist groups and highlighted accusations of hate speech and incitement against Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur.
INSIGHT UK alleges that Thakur’s organisations, ‘World Kashmir Freedom Movement’ and ‘Mercy Universal,’ were investigated for potential connections to terrorist activities by authorities like Scotland Yard, the Charity Commission, and the FBI.
The letter also pointed to Zafar Khan’s leadership in the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), a group accused of violence against the Kashmiri Hindu community and implicated in the 1984 kidnapping and murder of Indian diplomat Ravindra Mhatre in the UK.
INSIGHT UK describes itself as a social movement that focuses on issues impacting British Hindu and Indian communities in the United Kingdom.
