Are Hindu-Muslim tensions in India behind mob violence in UK’s Leicester?

Violent clashes in the British city of Leicester following an India-Pakistan cricket match could be linked to growing communal tensions in India, analysts say

While some observers say the tensions may be fuelled by India’s rising Hindu chauvinism, community organisers in the UK have emphasised that the clashes involved provocative acts by both sides

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Fans cheer while watching the live telecast of the Asia Cup T20 cricket match between India and Pakistan in Dubai, on big screens in Lahore on August 28. Photo: AFP

Published: 12:54pm, 23 Sep 2022Updated: 1:14pm, 23 Sep 2022

Increasing communal tensions in India may be provoking discord between Muslims and Hindus in the Indian diaspora, some observers say, after a recent India-Pakistan cricket match in Dubai led to violent clashes thousands of kilometres away in Britain.

Community organisers told This Week in Asia the recent clashes in Leicester City – which have continued this week – involved provocative acts by members of both communities.

Fights first broke out in Leicester City after India beat Pakistan in the Asia Cup T20 cricket tournament on August 28. Trouble deepened after disinformation on social media led a group of Hindu men to target a street lined with Muslim businesses on September 17.

Leicestershire Police this week said at least 47 people had been arrested for offences including common assault, violent disorder and possession of offensive weapons. The “significant aggression” left several officers and a police dog injured.

“The impact of the disorder on our communities is not acceptable. We will not tolerate violence or disorder in our city,” it said. Religious community leaders in the city also called for an immediate end to the “provocation and violence”.

The clashes in England come as nationalist Hindu ideology espoused by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been linked to growing violence and unrest in India.