Britain’s Indian community is finally gathering to celebrate the auspicious ten days of Navratri, followed by Karva Chauth and Dussehra after a dry spell due to the pandemic. For the first time in two years, people will be freely able to play Garba and celebrate, thanks to the nationwide vaccination drive and control over Covid cases in the UK.
However, Asian Voice has learned that while the community is elated to be celebrating the arrival of the Goddess, there is still a lingering fear among people about their safety during this festive season, due to the ongoing communal unrest, which gained momentum in the last month. South Asian women have released a joint statement expressing their safety concerns.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman was sent several letters by the British Hindu community, urging her to take the right action for the safety of the community amid the ongoing unrest in Leicester, Birmingham and protest in Brent ahead of Navratri and Durga Puja. After a large-scale protest outside the Shri Vallabh Nidhi Mandir Temple in Wembley along with Shree Swaminarayan Temple Kingsbury among others, police increased security around Hindu temples in the area.
On 22nd September, MP for Harrow East, Bob Blackman wrote a letter to the Home Secretary as the Chairman of the APPG of British Hindus raised concerns over the safety of the community amid Navratri. He said, “Navratri begins next week and lasts for 10 days, Diwali occurs on the 24th of October with Hindu New Year on the 25th of October. These are key festivals for Hindus and a serious threat to security. The safety of those celebrating raises serious concerns.”
In his recommendations to Braverman, the Harrow East MP mentioned that expansions in security were a must to protect British Hindus and temples across the country.
On the same day, Lord Dolar Popat also wrote to the Home Secretary, stating that Hinduism is a peace-loving religion and people should not be encouraged to destroy the progress made by the community. He wrote, "We have sadly seen the rise of tensions due to a small minority of people intimidating and being violent towards others based on their religion. They do not represent the majority of Hindus and Muslims in the UK who live out their lives in peace and practise their religion without stopping anyone else from doing so."
“As a leading member from the Hindu community, I am asking you to engage with us by meeting with the APPG for British Hindus in order for us to find a solution to de-escalate tensions. The APPG covers a variety of Hindu organisation and is best placed to engage with you to ensure Hindus are represented at all levels in this discussion.”
Religious event cancelled
VHP (UK), Ilford was asked by the Local Police Constabulary to cancel the Pravachan (religious sermon) of one of the Hindu world’s most renowned spiritual gurus, Pujya Sadhavi Rithambhra Ji Didima (mother) that was slated to be held on 23rd September at the VHP Ilford Community Centre and Hindu Temple. The reason given by the Police is the perceived law and order situation that could have been created by her coming to Ilford.
Hasmukh Velji Shah, Vice President, Trustee and Press Secretary of World Council of Hindus UK (Vishwa Hindu Parishad (UK)) wrote a letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman stating that Sam Tarry MP wrote a letter to Braverman’s office on 14th September without any factual evidence to support claims and accusations levelled against Sadhavi Rithambhara Ji.
Trupti Patel, President of Hindu Forum of Britain wrote a letter to the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon asking about the latter’s plans to safeguard the community. Expressing her concerns, Mrs Patel wrote, “I wish to bring to your attention the pressing concerns we have regarding providing immediate safety towards our places of worship, Mandirs attacked, and the religious flag being burnt in Midlands. These events have all been recorded on camera and are totally unacceptable in the multifaith society we live in. We have serious concerns regarding the anti-Hindu rhetoric that is being perpetuated and are distressed at the one-sided media portrayal of our community despite facts to the contrary.”
She further told Asian Voice, “The HFB is in constant touch with all Mandirs and Samaj across Britain. Regional Vice Presidents have assurances from Police to ensure extra safety at festival times. Women are more confident now to go to festivals, however, those who are still frightened of some harm are advised to go out in groups and be vigilant, be strong and carry on practising our Dharma. We carried out successful Security training with CST on 23rd September to give a conference to the Hindu community.”
Damage control?
In a statement issued by the force, Assistant Chief Constable Adam Streets of Leicestershire Police said that communities can celebrate as they would wish and without fear. "All those celebrating Navratri and Diwali are reminded to follow our usual advice to celebrate safely."
Braverman met with local police officers and Hindu and Muslim community leaders in Leicester and assured them that thugs behind recent violent clashes would face the full force of the law. Earlier, the Indian High Commission in London had strongly condemned the “violence perpetrated against the Indian community in Leicester and vandalisation of premises and symbols of Hindu religion”. External affairs minister S Jaishankar also raised similar concerns during a meeting with his UK counterpart, foreign secretary James Cleverly, at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Leicester City Mayor Peter Soulsby has indicated plans for an independent review into the circumstances behind the weekend's violence.
Asian women in Leicester ‘living in fear’
A group of south Asian women of Muslim and Hindu faith in the east Midlands city issued a joint statement, which was read by Rita Patel, a local councillor. In a video released on Twitter, Patel said, “We, as Asian women from Leicester, call upon the people of this city to rally together and oppose the senseless violence that has torn apart our community over the last week. We condemn those perpetrating hate and violence in our city - you will not succeed in dividing us.
“As your grandmothers, mothers, sisters, aunts, daughters and friends we have come together in collective solidarity to say no to the senseless violence that has plagued our great city in recent weeks and left many people injured. As a result, whole neighbourhoods and entire families, particularly women, children and elders and now living in fear.”
“This has been built on the extraordinary hard work of many including countless community organisations, faith groups and other agencies on the ground. We now call upon the people of Leicester to reject and challenge all that is intent on dividing and polarising our communities.”
Neel Joshi, a British Indian in his 20s said, “Given the current ongoing circumstances in Leicestershire, I can imagine some members of the public may feel anxious to attend public Navratri and Dussehra events. Despite most of the public being against such violence, their fear is understandable due to the nature of the recent events being quite serious.
“However, people who are simply travelling with the sole purpose of attending Navratri and Dussehra events may have less to worry about. I cannot see why attending religious events and displaying non-violent acts would spark further violence.”
Paayal Shukla who will be celebrating Navratri with friends said, “We’ve never had to take logistical precautions or discuss possible scenarios that may come up. However, this year there have been active conversations that have had to happen to ensure our safety during this festive period.”
Brahmpreet Kaur Gulati, Leicester Young Labour BAME Officer said, “Leicester takes pride in its diversity and unity. We will not let the work of a few individuals ruin the harmony we have had. As young people, we stand in solidarity with all faith groups in Leicester.”
Private security available for community
Sourabh Lahiri of Swift Security Solutions is offering private security services to the community during this festive season. Speaking to Asian Voice, he mentioned that he feels Hindus are not taking their safety seriously and organisers don’t want extra costs. “I am also bringing my private security officer to accompany me to various pujas as personal protection. Our guards start at £20 per hour. They are all trained and licensed by the UK government.”
“We have far more in common than that which divides us”
The Chairman of Shree Sanatan Hindu Mandir in Wembley along with two Muslim faith leaders on Sunday stood in unison appealing for peace and harmony, discouraging protests.
Meanwhile, Hate preacher Anjem Choudary has returned to stir up unrest in strife-torn Leicester by calling for “Muslim Patrols” to fight Hindu gangs. (Full story on P8)
In an official statement shared with the newsweekly, London Mayor Sadiq Khan tried to send out a message of peace and harmony to all communities, stating that his grandparents were from India and his parents are from Pakistan. He further added, “I remember the solidarity I had growing up in London with my Asian Hindu and Sikh neighbours, who along with Muslim, White and Black Londoners all stood together against the far-right of the 80s and early 90s.
“The Asian immigrant story in London - and the sense of common struggle - is shared by people who have links to all parts of the sub-continent. We cannot let current or past tensions, and the wider politics of the region, be used as a pretext to break that unity or stir up trouble on our streets.
“What we have seen in the Midlands in recent days is completely unacceptable, and I wholeheartedly condemn all violence, harassment and intimidation. Everyone in the UK and around the world should have the right to live in peace and to practice their religion without fear or threats.
“British Muslims and British Hindus should always be allies, not adversaries. And any attempts to drive a wedge between our communities by a small minority should be called out and resisted by all. Now is the time for us to rekindle and strengthen our bonds of solidarity. We need the silent majority to continue raising its voice and deploring this disorder.
“Together, let’s take a stand against all forms of hatred, intolerance and extremism - wherever it is found.”
Leader of Brent Council Cllr Muhammed Butt tweeted, “Brent Council is a great example of our communities living and working together for a future full of hope & and ambition for all. There is no space for hatred or division in Brent. Those who conspire for hate and division you are not welcome. We will be United against your hatred.”
British Hindu Voice calls for an independent enquiry by the Home Secretary
Vinod Popat, Chairman of the British Hindu Voice said: ‘’The communal disturbances in Leicester have shaken up the very core of the city and its claim to be a beacon of the peaceful city where diverse communities live and celebrate side by side.
“Following the Cricket-related incident on Melton Road, the BHV immediately wrote to the Police pointing out that the incident should not be seen from a faith perspective as some were trying to make it be and should be treated as a simple law and order issue.
“A request was also made that the Police Commissioner and the Chief Constable to meet Hindu leaders urgently. Unfortunately, this was overshadowed when certain faith organisations made comments claiming it to be a faith-related communal issue. The unsubstantiated, unverified, and callous statement by a certain officer in the Police stating that anti-faith slogans were raised during India’s win over Pakistan exacerbated the situation and spread like wildfire. We challenged the police on that, which resulted in them acknowledging that they made a mistake and issuing a withdrawal of that previous statement. But the damage was already done. This has since then led to religious extremist elements making all sorts of claims against Hindus on social media and issuing fake videos and vile threats.
“The BHV wrote again to the Police pointing out the dangers of the messages circulating on social media and requested urgent action be taken against those who were behind it. We pointed it out to the Police that the focus of the extremists has been to create a narrative against the Hindus, using the Hindutva label. These disturbances have given them the opportunity that they have been waiting for to portray Hindus as extremists both nationally and internationally.
“Amongst many Hindus, the Daman community was hardest hit by these riots. While certain leaders of the Hindu community were busy issuing statements from their cosy environment, the grass root people were being attacked and their houses and properties being vandalised on the streets.
“Instead of wasting time on such statements, which did not have much impact on the youth, the BHV held meetings with the key members of the Daman and Diu communities including their youth and arranged meetings to discuss their concerns directly with the Chief Constable. This helped quite a lot in terms of assuring the Youth that the police would listen to their concerns too.
“However, after a few days, the situation worsened when false claims were made on social media about three Indian men trying to kidnap a 15-year-old schoolgirl and this was followed by other fake claims. This raised the tensions and extremists started coming to Leicester making all sorts of threats against Hindus through speeches on Leicester streets and postings on social media. The religious flag burning incident outside Shivalay (Mandir) on Belgrave Road in front of police officers made the situation worse and this became an international issue.
“The root cause of the problem was the fuelling of tensions by extremists who wanted to create a negative narrative about Hindutva and poison the minds of young people through hateful speeches both on the streets and the social media. Throughout the disturbances, the BHV constantly stayed in touch with the Chief Constable who, to his credit, acted quickly on the concerns raised by BHV.
“The BHV believes that quicker actions against those hate preachers on social media who circulated fake news against the Hindus would have lessened the impact and duration of the disturbances. Also, a more measured approach by the Hindu faith leaders, taking into account the wider agenda of the extremists, when making statements of ‘remain calm’ would have been more helpful.
“The BHV condemns the false narrative being created by extremists linking Leicester Hindus with RSS and BJP. By playing the Hindutva card and portraying themselves as victims, the extremists have shown they are not interested in peace in Leicester. They want to use the Leicester disturbances for a different reason.
“The BHV calls for an independent enquiry to be set up by the Home Secretary to look into the causes of the disturbances, the role played by social media and the use of the communal tension to bring the issues of the Indian subcontinent to the UK.
“The dialogue between the BHV the Police and the Hindu youth is ongoing because that is the only way to achieve long-lasting peace on the streets of Leicester.”
