Ram Mandir Peterborough was consecrated 40 years ago, initially, by the Ugandan Hindu refugees under the Bharat Hindu Samaj Trust (BHS) on what was a closed Millfield school site occupying unit 6 which the Peterborough City Council (PCC) rented to BHS. Other 6 units were rented to other charitable organisations which are still there.
BHS and the Ram Mandir serve Hindus living in a 35-mile radius around Peterborough, including Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Northampton, with the next temple in Leicester, and within this 35-mile radius the Ram Mandir BHS serves approximately 18,000 Hindus. [To put it in context: there are 2 Gurudwaras, 9 Mosques and 84 Churches in Peterborough; and within a 35 mile radius with one temple Ram Mandir, there are 30 Mosques and 360 Churches – all Houses of God by our Hindu tenets should be protected.]
A new lease was granted to BHS for 25 years in July 1986 by PCC to give an assurance of permanency to the Mandir, with safeguards for 1st refusal within the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. The lease continued on a year-on-year basis and the temple enjoyed the security of tenure under the limited statutory grounds set out in section 30(1) of the Part II of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.
Crucially, for more than a decade the PCC engaged with the BHS to transfer ownership to the BHS, first at a price of £1, then at £250k, allowing for the BHS’s ‘social impact value’ the centre created and independently valued by the PCC at £504k in February 2025. Then the BHS submits an offer of £1.3m in April 2025 for cabinet approval. This was the 4th Head of Terms submitted to the PCC.
However, under the new administration at PCC the offer is ignored and the BHS is informed that in order to reduce the Council’s debts it will need to offer the site to the highest bidder on an open-market value basis. The key decision makers for the BHS lease are the following cabinet members:
- Shabina Qayyum (Leader)
- Mohammed Farooq (Deputy)
- Mohammed Jamil (Finance)
- Zameer Ali (Communities)
with other councilors responsible for other activities. The PCC cabinet decision on 2nd review remained to close the Ram Mandir, link: Click Here
It is striking that Mohmmed Jamil presented his case to reduce the PCC’s debt of £500m by a paltry sale of BHS site by £1.5m max say on OMV. Please see BBC report under link: Click Here
It is equally alarming that Shabina Qayyam has withheld the name of their preferred bidder whilst she refers to the principles of democracy in the BBC article link: Click Here
Naturally Hindu Council UK condemns any prejudicial abuse of Muhammed Jamil but this seems to be another case where Islamophobia charges trump the sufferings of the Hindu community. BHS Trustees claim the new PCC Cabinet exercises a closed door policy, hiding documents in exempt annexes and with no transparency the Council is in breach of its public duty.
Hindu Council UK appeals to the Prime Minister to intervene on cases which seek the protection of the flawed Islamophobia definition adopted and which evidently shows signs of hatred towards the British Hindu peaceful community. PCC is bound by the Public Sector Equality Duty (Equality Act 2010, section 149, to have due regard to:
- Eliminating discrimination
- Advancing equality of opportunity
- Fostering good relations between different faiths and backgrounds.
These services deliver a social value to the people of Peterborough and under section 3(1) of the Local Government Act 1999, the Council’s duty to secure ‘best value’ must be interpreted holistically taking into account social, economic and community benefit. In any case the financial proceeds of £1.5m to reduce the debt of £1/2bn is an excuse that smacks the prejudicial treatment of British Hindus and their worship places.
The closure of Ram Mandir Peterborough is reminiscent of the very long and sad episode of Ram Mandir Ayodhya 500 years ago under the Mughal rule oppression.
We urge the Prime Minister to protect our place of worship Ram Mandir Peterborough.
Dipen Rajyaguru
Director Equality and Inclusion
Hindu Council UK
[A national umbrella body representing one million British Hindus of all denominations through their temples and cultural organisations, estd. 1994.]