An Indian student, Lakshmi Balakrishnan from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, has accused Oxford University of racial bias, harassment, and injustice. Lakshmi, who joined Oxford in October 2018 to pursue a PhD on Shakespeare within the English faculty, has taken legal action after feeling that the university’s appeals and complaints system failed to provide her with justice.
Lakshmi's issues began in November 2021, during an internal assessment known as the confirmation of status, where her assessors failed her, arguing that Shakespeare "does not have the scope for doctoral level studies." She claims this decision represents a breach of contract, as her PhD thesis on Shakespeare had been clearly outlined in her application to Oxford, and the scope of her work had not changed since then.
Despite following all the university’s appeals and complaints processes, Lakshmi feels deeply disappointed by the outcomes. "I want justice for my PhD confirmation issue," she stated, adding that since December 2021, she has filed several appeals within the university and with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), but her appeals were rejected. The university and the OIA argued that the assessors' decisions were based on "academic judgement" and should be accepted.
However, Lakshmi is not challenging the assessors' academic expertise but rather the decision-making process, which she believes was tainted by racial bias and procedural irregularities. She also highlighted the financial burden this situation has placed
However, Lakshmi is not challenging the assessors' academic expertise but rather the decision-making process, which she believes was tainted by racial bias and procedural irregularities. She also highlighted the financial burden this situation has placed on her, having spent over £100,000 on her education at Oxford, and she has now started a fundraising campaign to seek financial support for her legal battle.
Lakshmi has appealed directly to the Vice-Chancellor and Pro Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University for assistance but has not received a positive response. She also claims that her college at Oxford has acknowledged severe irregularities in her case and hopes for a fair resolution.
Lakshmi further alleges that racial bias motivated her assessors' decision to fail her PhD thesis. She pointed out that two white students from her cohort who pursued similar PhD topics on Shakespeare had their theses accepted while hers was not. Following the failure of her PhD assessment, she was forcibly transferred to a Master's course without her consent, which she argues violated the principles of natural justice.
Throughout her time at Oxford, Lakshmi claims she has faced systemic bullying, harassment, and discrimination from the English faculty. She recounted an incident in 2019 where one of her assessors allegedly bullied her during a seminar, leading her to stop attending such events due to feeling ostracized. Lakshmi believes that her race played a significant role in the targeted harassment she experienced.
She also alleged that Indian students at Oxford face deep-seated bias and discrimination, which hinders their ability to thrive and make original contributions in their fields. Additionally, she raised concerns about academic misconduct and plagiarism by one of her assessors, which she believes calls into question the integrity of the November 2021 confirmation decision.
Lakshmi's case is not the first instance of an Indian student facing challenges at Oxford. In September 2023, Rashmi Samant, the first Indian to be elected as the President of the Oxford Student Union, detailed her own struggles in a book, describing how she was allegedly targeted and singled out by professors due to her religious and ethnic background.
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