A string of controversial events involving Indian communities around the world, from violence to sectarian politics, have recently thrown into sharp relief the existence of strong and active global networks of Hindu nationalists.
Such controversies are likely to become more frequent and bring violent repercussions, analysts warn, as Hindu nationalists grow stronger and bolder across continents, secure in their backing by India’s powerful Hindu nationalist – also known as Hindutva – ecosystem and the Narendra Modi government in New Delhi.
Over the last two months, clashes broke out repeatedly between members of the Hindu and the Muslim communities in the British city of Leicester, over reasons from a cricket match to rumours and distrust triggered by social media disinformation.
According to local reports, fans packed the city’s streets after the Indian team lost a cricket match to arch-rivals Pakistan in August, chanting slogans such as Pakistan Murdabad (Death to Pakistan) to Jai Shri Ram (Hail, Lord Ram).
Violence continued to erupt in September. Leicester police arrested at least 55 people in September for offences including common assault, violent disorder and possession of offensive weapons.
Leicester Member of Parliament Claudia Webbe, in a letter to local police, said residents told her the violence had been driven, in part, by “underlying Islamophobia in parts of Leicester’s communities, rather than an isolated incident”.
Across the Atlantic earlier this month, Hindu activists in Canada’s Brampton city were up in arms after a signage board for a park named after the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu holy scripture, was allegedly vandalised.
In August, celebrations in New Jersey in the United States for India’s 75th independence day turned sour after local Hindus included a yellow bulldozer among the parade, accompanied by photos of Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. A hardline Hindu nationalist, Adityanath has previously threatened violence against Muslims and targeted Muslim homes with bulldozers.
Last year, Hindu nationalist internet trolls and groups mounted intimidation campaigns against participants of a conference titled “Dismantling Global Hindutva”, including sending them death threats.
This story was originally published in scmp.com . Read the full story here