Hindu MP Speaks Out as Leicester Diwali Festival Face Axe.

Diwali Celebrations in Leicester Scaled Back Amid Safety Concerns and Rising Tensions, Hindu MP Shivani Raja speaks out.

Hridya Bharti | HENB | London | Sept 7, 2025:: Leicester’s Diwali festival, once renowned as one of the largest outside India, has been significantly scaled back this year due to safety concerns. The Labour-run city council has cancelled the fireworks, stage show, and Diwali Village on public-safety grounds, leaving only street lanterns, 6,000 LED lights, a Ferris wheel, and a single-night road closure.

Growing Concerns Over Islamic Fundamentalism

The cancellation of the main events has sparked concerns about the impact of growing Islamic fundamentalism in Britain. Many cities, including Leicester, have seen a rise in Islamic fundamentalist ideologies, which have contributed to increased tensions between different communities. The 2022 communal unrest in Leicester, which saw Hindu-Muslim clashes and attacks on Hindu temples, is still fresh in the minds of many residents.

Community Leaders Speak Out

Community leaders, including Vinod Popat of the Hindu Community Organisations Group, have criticized the move, saying Diwali without fireworks “is like Christmas dinner without turkey.” Leicester East MP Shivani Raja, one of the UK’s few Hindu MPs, has also raised the alarm, questioning why other mass events are treated differently. She has written to the Chief Constable, alongside Neil O’Brien MP, to press for solutions.

Rise of Muslim Political Power

The growing political power of Muslims in many British cities has also been a topic of discussion. There have been two directly-elected mayors in the UK who are Muslim – Sadiq Khan, the current Mayor of London, and Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of the London borough of Tower Hamlets from 2010 to 2015. Moreover, several cities, including Birmingham, Leeds, Blackburn and Darwen, Sheffield, Oxford, Luton, Oldham, and Rochdale, have had at least one Muslim mayor. The influence of Islam in the UK is also evident in its mosques and Sharia courts, with over 2,100 mosques, Muslim prayer rooms, and other Islamic spaces across the country as of May 2024. This growing influence has raised concerns about the impact on religious rights of non-Muslims. Nearly 4 million Muslims, or 6.0% of the UK population, are likely to take control of the country through bullying others.

A City on Edge

The curtailment of Leicester’s Diwali celebrations speaks to a city still nursing old wounds and a council squeezed by austerity. The absence of fireworks and other key events will feel symbolic to many – a festival dimmed, and a community still waiting to see its brightest days return. As Britain grapples with issues of cultural identity and community cohesion, the future of events like Leicester’s Diwali festival hangs in the balance.