Why violence in Leicester has raised questions about India’s polarising politics

Recent violence in Leicester is seen by many as an extension of polarising politics in India, reports Sravasti Dasgupta

Almost a month after a cricket match between India and Pakistan triggered clashes between Hindus and Muslim groups in Leicester, a city often seen as a beacon of multicultural cohesion is reeling from weeks of unrest as community leaders and authorities appeal for calm.

While the scale of the communal violence has been described as “unprecedented” in the UK, local religious groups and community leaders say that tensions had been simmering long before the cricket on 28 August.

Concerns have been raised that the community’s vibrant multicultural character may have been altered forever by the recent violence, which many among the south Asian diaspora in Leicester view as a reflection of the increasingly polarised politics in India.