Kamal Ghorui
LONDON: Hindu groups have rejected a new SOAS-led report into the 2022 Hindu-Muslim Leicester riots which seeks to blame Hindus and “Hindutva” for much of the violence, saying they have serious concerns about its impartiality, funding and panel composition.The Hindu Community Organisations Group (HCOG) Leicester, which represents over 50,000 Hindus, said the vast majority of Hindu groups had boycotted the “Independent Commission of Inquiry”, led by SOAS University of London, LSE and the Monitoring Group, which published its report, titled “Better Together”, on Monday. The report states itself that it received funding from the Open Society Foundations.
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HCOG said the inquiry was funded with a £620,000 grant from George Soros, “known for his critical stance on India and Hindus”, and said it does not reflect the true picture of what happened. “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.Although the SOAS inquiry, chaired by human rights expert Prof Juan Méndez, found there was no single community to blame, it then went on to largely blame the riots on Hindus and “Hindutva”, with a whole chapter dedicated to Hindutva. This is in sharp contrast to the Henry Jackson Society report. The SOAS report’s recommendations include a “political will to confront Hindu extremism” and recognise Hindutva as a form of extremism on the same level as political Islamism.
