Hindutva, Hindu Diaspora and Communal Unrest in Leicester

ABSTRACT

A rightward shift in politics and the electoral rise of the Hindu nationalist party in India also influenced the thinking of the Hindu diaspora living across the world for years. This paper examines the link between Hindu nationalism in India and a growing Hinduness among the Indian diaspora population, mainly among the second-generation members of the community living in the United Kingdom. The paper analyses the communal clashes held in Leicester in 2022, which were not sudden but a result of tensions bubbling for many years among the communal groups that had been living together for years.

KEYWORDS:

• Communal mobilization
• Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh
• Disorder and violence in Leicester

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Amit Ranjan

Amit Ranjan is a Research Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore.

Dhimoyee Banerjee

Dhimoyee Banerji is a PhD student at Leeds Trinity University / University of Leeds, UK.