Accused of Racism, Manipal’s Rashmi Samant quits as Oxford Students’ Union President-Elect
London/ Bengaluru: According to a Times of India report, Manipal based Rashmi Samant, who became the first Indian woman to be elected president of the Oxford University Students’ Union had to inadvertently quit after her past social media post was accused of carrying ‘racist’ and ‘insensitive’ references to the Holocaust.
Rashmi, who did her schooling in Manipal, Udupi, is the daughter of Vathsala Samant, a homemaker, and businessman Dinesh Samant. According to Oxford University, she had received 1,966 of the 3,708 votes cast for SU President securing a landslide victory.
However, the victory was short-lived due to the ‘racism’ controversy, which emerged in the background of her win. Following the circulation of her past problematic social media post, Rashmi issued an apology through an open letter which read, “Every student who has been hurt by my actions or words and seek a chance to gain your trust in me again.”
She further said, “I fully acknowledge my shortcomings over the years and the past few days in my capacity as President-elect.”
'I come to you with an apology and a willingness to learn. I earnestly seek your help in making amends for my mistakes.'
Despite her apology, as calls for her resignation continued, in a Facebook post on Tuesday Rashmi Samant announced that she had decided to step down as President-Elect.
'In light of the recent events surrounding my election to the Presidency of the Oxford SU, I believe it is best for me to step down from the role. It has been an honour to be your President-Elect,' she posted.
Speaking to the TOI reporters from Heathrow airport before boarding a flight back home to India on Wednesday, she said, “Instagram was my campaign page so it got sent to everyone. You had to scroll down really far to see the posts. I don’t know who found them. I don’t want to judge others because I know how much it hurts to be judged”, she expressed.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
