New Delhi: Satyam Surana, an Indian student at the London School of Economics (LSE), has alleged that he was the target of a hate campaign during the recent student union elections at the university, news agency ANI reported. Surana, who gained recognition for his act of defiance during an attack on the Indian High Commission in the UK last year, is now in the spotlight for a different reason.


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Speaking to ANI, Surana told that he had filed his nomination for the post of general secretary when the LSE elections were announced in February and early March. However, he noticed that his campaign posters were being torn down and defaced from March 14-15. Despite lodging complaints with the authorities and replacing the damaged posters, the harassment continued.



On March 16, Surana discovered that some of his posters had been defaced with crosses over his face and the phrase ‘anyone but Satyam’. He felt singled out and targeted. The situation escalated on the afternoon of March 17 when messages began circulating in various LSE groups, including Indian groups and law school groups.


The messages labeled Surana as a supporter of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), branding him as a ‘fascist’, ‘Islamophobe’, and ‘transphobe’. The messages also contained seditious and contentious remarks about the Indian government and the current establishment.


Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Surana on Tuesday said, "People are now Anti-India because they are Anti-Modi [‼️] They attempted to harass me. I was cancelled, I was slurred. Why? - Because I supported PM Modi. - Because I supported BJP. - Because I spoke up for the truth when the Ram Mandir was built. - Because I supported the progress Bharat is making under the leadership of PM Modi. - Because I spoke against terrorism. - Because I spoke in favour of Bharat."