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British Hindu community rallies against Peterborough temple sale
The Hindu Forum of Britain accused the Peterborough council of not taking the religious sentiments of the community into account.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Thu, 12, Mar 2026
- 04:00 EDT
- 39
Bharat Hindu Samaj Mandir / Facebook/Bharat Hindu Samaj
The Hindu Forum of Britain wrote to Secretary of State MP Steve Reed voicing their objection to the recent decision of the Peterborough Council regarding the sale of the ‘Bharat Hindu Samaj’ Temple site.
The community organisation accused the council of showing "little meaningful regard for community interests, little weight given to cultural and religious needs, and little appreciation of the damage such a decision could cause to community confidence."
The Bharat Hindu Samaj Temple stands as the only consecrated Hindu temple within a 35-mile radius for close to 14,000 worshippers in the region, noted HFB.
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In the letter, HFB noted that the temple community has been negotiating with the council for well over a decade and had formed an understanding that the bid it has placed to acquire ownership of the temple land was under consideration. However, it noted, "the process was then abruptly altered to an open-market ‘best offer’ approach, and the community was given only one month to prepare a competing bid in a radically changed context."
Signed by HFB President Trupti Patel, the letter questioned whether the councillors had sufficient information to reach an informed and balanced decision, adding that even the scrutiny committee itself had such doubts.
It alleged, "The cultural significance of the temple, the history of negotiations with the community, and the wider implications for community relations do not appear to have been fully or properly presented."
HFB argued that a decision made without full information, without full context, and without full appreciation of impact cannot credibly command the confidence of those most affected by it.
The organization urged the Secretary of State to refer the matter back to the council for reconsideration, while ensuring that the community is "genuinely consulted, properly heard, and given a fair and reasonable opportunity to participate in any revised process."
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