New Report Links Hindutva Extremism To 2022 Leicester Riots

A new joint report by the United Kingdom Indian Muslim Council (UKIMC) and Community Policy Forum has blamed Hindutva-inspired extremism, police bias, and policy failures as reasons behind the 2022 Leicester riots. Titled "Community Tensions, Hindutva, and Islamophobia: Leicester City – A Case Study", the report is based on qualitative research involving nearly 500 members of Leicester’s Muslim community.

Key findings of the report published on August 6 include evidence that the riots were fuelled by instigators spreading anti-Muslim hatred built upon Hindutva ideologies and propaganda; widespread perceptions of police bias and institutional inaction, which undermined trust and prevented effective safeguarding of communities; a significant deterioration in community relations and growing fear and trauma among Muslim residents, many of whom report feeling unsafe in their own neighbourhoods; and the active role of online disinformation networks and Hindutva-aligned influencers in spreading Islamophobia and inciting unrest. The report also criticises political and media narratives that it says misrepresented events and ignored Muslim voices.

“The 2022 Leicester violence proves how Hindu supremacist ideology, rooted in Hindutva, has found dangerous expression in the UK — threatening the fabric of our diverse communities,” a UKIMC spokesperson said. The report also outlines ten key policy pledges, including scrapping the government’s PREVENT strategy, legislating a national youth inclusion fund, prioritising tackling Hindutva and far-right extremism in the UK’s counterterrorism strategy, and it also calls for significant investment in community infrastructure and independent media regulation.