Tensions sparked off in Smethwick town of England after about 200 persons, mostly Muslims, held a protest on outside a Hindu temple, Sky News reported. One of the agitators reportedly threw a bottle at the site of the protest, but the situation calmed down later.
The protest outside the Durga Bhawan temple were held after there emerged “concerns around a speaker” who was to address a gathering at the venue, the police said. But the event was cancelled and the speaker is no longer in the UK, the police added.
Some Twitter users said that Hindutva supremacist leader Rithambara was slated to give a speech.
Rithambhara was one of the accused persons in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case. Earlier this month, a church in United States’ New Jersey cancelled a fundraising event featuring in response to public outcry.
The Smethwick Police said on Tuesday that they were taking measures to “find the right balance between the rights of protestors and those of local residents and businesses, while working to minimise serious disruption to communities”.
The protests in Smethwick came days after after tensions between Hindus and Muslims in the city of Leicester that erupted following an India and Pakistan cricket match on August 28. A flare-up was also reported on September 17 between Hindus and Muslims after an unauthorised protest march was held in the city.
On Monday, Leicester East MP Claudia Webbe had warned that such clashes could spread beyond the city unless the central government and police intervened, according to The Guardian. She said that ministers must clamp down on “extremist right wing ideology” and misinformation on social media.
“The reality is that we have fringe elements led and inspired by extremism and right wing ideology rearing its head in the UK and in the peaceful city of Leicester,” Webbe said. “If we do not understand the root cause this will spread beyond Leicester to other areas.”
On Monday, the Indian High Commission in London had sought immediate action against those involved in the attacks. However, while criticising the violence, the High Commission only mentioned the “vandalization of premises and symbols of Hindu religion”, even though videos on social media showed that the Muslim community had also been attacked.
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