New Delhi: A newly released report on the 2022 Hindu-Muslim unrest in Leicester has ignited significant controversy, with Hindu community organisations vehemently rejecting its findings. The report, co-led by SOAS University of London, LSE, and the Monitoring Group, largely attributes blame to Hindus and “Hindutva,” prompting serious concerns about its impartiality, funding sources, and the composition of its investigative panel.
The Hindu Community Organisations Group (HCOG) Leicester, representing over 50,000 Hindus, confirmed that the vast majority of Hindu groups had boycotted the “Independent Commission of Inquiry.” Published on Monday under the title “Better Together,” the report openly states it received funding from the Open Society Foundations.
HCOG has highlighted that the inquiry was supported by a substantial £620,000 grant from George Soros, a figure “known for his critical stance on India and Hindus.” This funding, they argue, compromises the report’s credibility and prevents it from accurately reflecting the true events of the violence.
According to HCOG, the Leicester incidents in 2022 involved “targeted attacks on Hindu homes, temples and individuals,” with “clear anti-Hindu sentiments evidenced in acts such as the vandalism of a Hindu temple and assaults on Hindu youth.” They contend that the SOAS inquiry “seems to downplay these incidents while amplifying unverified claims,” painting a distorted picture of the conflict.
“The Leicester violence in 2022 saw targeted attacks on Hindu homes, temples and individuals, with clear anti-Hindu sentiments evidenced in acts such as the vandalism of a Hindu temple and assaults on Hindu youth. Yet the SOAS inquiry seems to downplay these incidents while amplifying unverified claims,” it said.
Despite an initial acknowledgment by the SOAS inquiry, chaired by human rights expert Prof Juan Méndez, that no single community was solely to blame, the group claims that the report dedicated an entire chapter to “Hindutva,” effectively shifting much of the culpability onto Hindu groups.