Oxford Union's Kashmir Debate Stirs Row, 'Brave' Indian Student's Protest Video Goes Viral

Last Updated:November 15, 2024, 15:14 IST

The British Hindus objected to the Kashmir debate, alleging that the Oxford Union invited two speakers linked to terrorism.

British Hindus protest outside Oxford Union | Image/X@INSIGHTUK

In a fiery speech during an Oxford Union debate on Kashmir, an Indian student called the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) a “terrorist organisation," while the British Hindus protested outside the premises against the Union for inviting speakers linked to terrorist organisations.

They objected to the debate titled “This House believes in the Independent State of Kashmir," alleging that the institute invited two speakers- Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur and Zafar Khan, who are Kashmiri separatists.

Giving a befitting reply to the House, the Indian student, Adarsh Mishra, stood and exposed the JKLF, holding it responsible for the killing of Kashmiri Pandits and Hindu government officials in Birmingham.

“It [JKLF] has massacred many Kashmiri Pandits, and it has killed Hindu government officials in Birmingham. I do not trust this house. I have launched a no-confidence motion against the president because I believe many members of this house have no faith in the president of the Oxford Union. He is nothing but a stooge of ISI. He is nothing but a stooge of Pakistan, and this house has no confidence in the president," the student was heard saying during the debate.

INSIGHT UK Stage Massive Protest

A group of British Hindus and Indians, INSIGHT UK, protested in front of the Oxford Union, the debating society of Oxford University and raised slogans against the institutions.

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."

INSIGHT UK alleged that an organisation run by Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur, one of the speakers invited at the Oxford Union’s Kashmir debate, was investigated for potential connections to terrorist activities by authorities like Scotland Yard, the Charity Commission, and the FBI.

The group also mentioned other concerns in the letter written to the Oxford Union on Thursday.

The letter also pointed to Zafar Khan’s leadership in the 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.

London, United Kingdom (UK)

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