Indian Hindutva students disrupt Oxford Union's Kashmir independence debate

Indian students disrupt Oxford Union's debate on Kashmir independence, a long-standing Indo-Pak dispute

Some Indian students interupted a debate on an "Independent State of Kashmir" that was held by the Oxford University's debating society, commonly known as the Oxford Union.

The debate, which took place on November 14, triggered Indian Hindutva students who raised nationalist slogans outside the venue.

The debate, framed as part of the Oxford Union’s ongoing series, focused on the long-standing issue of Kashmir's independence —a matter that has been a source of conflict between India and Pakistan since 1947.

The event featured two prominent speakers advocating for Kashmir's self-determination: Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur, a Kashmiri independence activist, and Professor Zafar Khan, a representative of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF).

Instead of respecting Kashmiris' right to self-determination, Indian Hindutva students condemned the debate in an attempt to impose their will.

The group Insight UK, representing the Indian and British Hindu community, had previously written to the Oxford Union, raising concerns about the topic and speakers involved."

The movement, in the name of Indian nationalism, aims to suppress any discussion on Kashmir’s right to independence and self-determination.

The protest has drawn attention to the growing influence of nationalism and Hindutva ideology, which critics argue is eroding India’s secular foundations.

The letter ignored the decades long oppression of Kashmiris in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.