Ideas
Rashmi Samant.
Days after the investigation into the harassment complaint filed by Rashmi Samant at Oxford University concluded, the Indian student feels vindicated and hopeful of better times for fellow Hindu students studying in international universities.
Although precluded from sharing further details, both Samant and her lawyer expressed delight at the outcome. Reacting to the positive outcome after battling the negative and almost six month-long arduous journey of following up with the investigation, Samant's lawyer was all praise for her "her grit and perseverance throughout the process" that was "emotionally wrecking".
Samant's life has come a full circle in the last six months - from being the first Indian woman to become the President of the Oxford University in February this year to having been made the epicentre of a controversy that had her being name-called and tagged as being 'racist', 'transphobic' as well as 'Islamophobic' for coming from what a faculty member called "a bastion of Islamophobic far-right forces".
An earlier interaction about the ordeal as she narrated it to Swarajya can be found here, where she admitted that she resigned 'to preserve the last bit of her sanity'.
In a recent post titled 'Rose that grew from a crack in the concrete' , Rashmi has summed up her entire six month long ordeal.
Samant, who hails from Udupi in coastal Karnataka is thankful though that the community stood by her in this battle. "I thank my parents and the wider community, especially the people of Dakshina Kannada who rallied through and through," she says, adding that the investigation entails a 'rightful closure to the entire saga'.
"We are very happy with what the letter says (though we cant share it) and what it means for our community" says Samant as she signs off, adding that this is also an assurance that 'this will not happen to another Hindu student'.