Leicester fact-finding report confirms what we knew all along: Hindumisia is rising and so is fake news

In August last year, Leicester was rocked by a series of violence between members of British Pakistani and British Indian communities after India won a match against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2022. The resulting sloganeering escalated into ethnic and religious tensions lasting for almost a month. Multiple conflicting accounts of the violence hit social media after that. Now a fact-finding report by Delhi-based think tank Centre for Democracy Pluralism and Human Rights (CDPHR) presented at a committee room in the UK House of Commons has confirmed what we knew all along. Leicester violence was a manifestation of the growing Hindumisia. It was further exacerbated by the circulation of fake news with a criminal and malicious intent to paint the local Hindu community as a perpetrator of violence. Unlike the popular notion that Leicester is home to multiple minorities, the report points out that eastern Leicester particularly is an “ethnic enclave” of the Muslim community with a minority presence of Hindus. Blaming territorial tensions and local majoritarianism among the Muslim community which far outnumbers the Hindus in the locality, the report points out that the planting of fake news led to serious incidents of violence against the minority Hindus. According to UK member of Parliament Bob Blackman, who is also the chair of the India (Trade and Investment) All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), fake news not only led to the escalation of violence but also sowed seeds of further division between different religious communities. The fact that eastern Leicester is witnessing increased concentration of a particular community is a worrying trend. However, it is hardly new. In 2005, Trevor Philips, Chairman of Commission for Racial Equality, had pointed out the dangerous implications of the same when he said, “Residentially, some districts are on their way to becoming fully-fledged ghettoes — black holes into which no one goes without fear and trepidation and from which no one ever escapes undamaged.” This should have rung alarm bells in the UK and some serious steps towards course correction could have been taken, but more than 15 years since the warning, here we are. Interestingly, Leicester’s celebration of multiculturalism has been a subject of multiple academic inquiries with even journalistic accounts celebrating it as a ‘model city’, ‘UK’s most diverse city’ and a city where everyone is a minority’. But in the immediate aftermath of the Leicester violence, many Left-liberal ideologists were blaming Hindus for taking out marches from so-called ‘Muslim areas’. If Leicester was indeed such a sweet melting pot of various identities, then what exactly were the Left-liberals referring to as “Muslim Areas”. Their support for the ghettoisation of the Muslim community is not just a brutal exposure of their claims of tolerance and inclusivity but also a crude commentary on the UK’s claim as a multicultural, democratic, liberal society. Circulation of fake news also played a major role in the escalation of tensions, as noted in the report by CDPHR. During the violence, fake news was planted accusing the Hindu community of disrespecting Islamic symbols and beliefs for which no evidence had surfaced. This is similar to the rulebook followed in many South Asian countries as well such as Pakistan and Bangladesh where Hindus constitute a vulnerable minority. False allegations of blasphemy are levelled at Hindus as well as other members of the minority community to justify instances of brutal violence against them. The internationalisation of this rulebook is a worrying trend for any civilised society. Of late, a frame of ‘Hindutva nationalism’ has been created to accuse Hindus of majoritarianism which was originally conceived for the Indian context but has now become a useful template for Islamic extremists the world over to hide their own role as perpetrators of violence. It is being used by even the Khalistanis who have attacked the Indian High Commission and Consulates in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Despite India being a constitutionally secular country with Hindus co-existing with other religions for the last many centuries, they have termed tolerant and peaceful people as Hindutva terrorists. It is not only aiding the religious extremists to hide their own acts of aggression but it has also become a useful tool to undercut India’s growing influence the world over. Hindu communities are fast becoming a victim of this ugly politics with no fault of theirs. Also, the fact that the same Western governments that pontificate to India on the treatment of minorities can’t ensure the basic security of their own ethnic and religious minorities shouldn’t be lost. A cross-community comparison is a must in these societies to assess the contribution of the Indian Hindu community in their development and law and order. The extremist elements which are attacking them today will surely come to haunt their entire society one day. It’s high time that they put a stop on such activities and set their own houses in order. The author is a PhD in International Relations from the Department of International Relations, South Asian University. Her research focuses on political economy of South Asia and regional integration. Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.