A worrying news is coming out from the United Kingdom (UK) for the Indian community and especially the Hindus. There has been a huge increase in hate crimes against the Hindu community living in Britain. According to the latest data released by the British Government's Home Office, cases of religious hate crimes targeting Hindus in England and Wales have increased by a record 15% in the last one year, causing deep concern among the Indian diaspora and local Hindu organizations. Cases of religious hate crimes increased rapidly in England and Wales According to official figures released by the British Police, a total of 146,825 hate crimes were recorded in England and Wales between March 2025 and March this year. The report has also revealed that not only Hindus but other religious communities are also becoming victims of this hatred. According to the data, during this period, 24% hate crime cases have been registered against the Christian community, 15% against the Muslim community, 10% against the Jewish community and 3% against the Sikh community. However, the sharp increase of 15% in cases among Hindus has forced the security agencies to think afresh. Figures do not reflect the real picture: Anil Bhanot, Managing Director of Hindu Council UK, Anil Bhanot, while reacting to these government figures, said that the ground reality may be more serious than these figures. He said that the actual situation in the case of Hindus is completely different and they are constantly facing serious physical attacks and verbal harassment. Why most of the Hindus do not lodge a complaint with the police? Anil Bhanot made a big revelation by saying that many victimized Hindus do not even lodge an official complaint with the police. The main reason behind this is that if the hate crime is not a serious physical attack, the victims feel it is better to bear it silently. They fear that the local police or administration will not take any strict legal action on this. This is why many cases do not reach police records and the actual number of crimes may be much higher. A spokesperson for 'Insight UK', a leading advocacy group working for the rights and security of British Hindus, has also expressed deep concern over the issue of Hindu temples not getting special security funding. The spokesperson said that there are special security plans and budget provision by the government for Jewish places of worship (synagogues) and mosques in Britain, whereas there is no such separate or dedicated arrangement for Hindu temples. Hindu temples are allowed to apply for government security funding, but historically they have not been allocated large sums and have had to fight for even a small share of general funding. Community leaders have demanded the British government to take concrete steps for the safety of Hindu temples and the community so that such hate crimes can be curbed.
