New Delhi, Jan 31 (UNI) India today slammed a leaked UK Home Office report that flagged “Hindu nationalism” as among nine emerging threats to that country’s security, and said “the nature of the separatist and extremist threat out of the UK is well known”.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a briefing:
“We have seen some reports on this matter. The nature of the separatist and extremist threat out of the UK is well known.
“It should not be condoned or falsely equated.”
The leaked UK Home Office document has identified Hindu nationalism and Khalistani extremism as among nine emerging threats to the country’s security.
The report, first published by The Guardian, marks the first time that Hindu nationalism has been officially recognised as a threat in the UK.
It categorises Hindu nationalism and Hindutva as “extremist ideologies”, placing them alongside Islamist extremism, extreme right-wing and left-wing extremism, extreme misogyny, anarchism, environmental extremism, and conspiracy theories.
“Hindutva is a political movement distinct from Hinduism which advocates for the hegemony of Indian Hindus and the establishment of a monolithic Hindu Rastra or state in India,” the report said.
In 2022 August, violence had broken out in Leicester between British Hindus and British Muslims after the India-Pakistan Asia Cup match.
“Tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities in the UK are still evident and the events in Leicester show how disinformation can play a role in offline action,” the report said.
The report was commissioned in August 2024 by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who set up a special committee to assess potential extremist threats.