Three Indian students pursuing higher education in the UK were confronted by masked men from a self-styled vigilante group at Meriden Park in Solihull and told to ‘go home’
Three Indian students in the United Kingdom were confronted by a group of self-styled vigilantes dressed in black at a public park in Solihull, England, and ordered to leave. The men, as reported by British tabloid Metro, questioned the students about their presence in the country and warned them not to return.
The incident took place at Meriden Park in the West Midlands during a late-night patrol by a group calling itself the ‘Chelmsley Wood Patriots’. The confrontation was filmed and shared on social media, with footage later circulating online after the group removed the original video.
‘This is your final warning’
Footage of the confrontation showed members of the group questioning the three Indian students about why they were in England and what they were doing at the park.
One of the students said he had come to the UK to pursue a master’s degree and had been living there for two years. The group continued to question the men about their presence before ordering them to leave.
‘What you need to do is stay away from a children’s park. Do not come round here again. Do not be seen here again. This is your final warning,’ one member of the group told the students before telling them to ‘go home’.
More from Indian DiasporaThe group later defended its actions in a Facebook post, claiming its members were conducting neighbourhood patrols to protect women and children. It cited concerns about local crime and reports of missing children and sexual violence.
However, the confrontation drew criticism from local activists, who questioned why the students had been singled out while using a public space.
Reports also emerged of further harassment involving masked individuals targeting the students’ residence in the nights following the confrontation.
Police distance themselves from vigilantes
West Midlands Police said it was aware of the group operating in the Chelmsley Wood area and of footage showing men being stopped at Meriden Park.
In a statement addressing the group’s activities, Solihull Police Inspector Jenny Willetts said vigilantes had no authority to exercise police powers.
‘Stop-and-search powers belong exclusively to police officers acting under specific legal provisions,’ she said. ‘We do not endorse, condone, or encourage the activities of this group and do not work with its members.’
‘We do not endorse, condone, or encourage the activities of this group and do not work with its members,’ she added.
Police said they would take appropriate action when a crime was reported and urged anyone with concerns to contact officers. They also reminded the public to call emergency services in urgent situations.
What the data says about racial and religious hate crimes in the UK
The confrontation comes amid wider concerns about racial and religious hostility in England and Wales. Official figures from the UK Home Office show that police recorded 146,825 hate crimes in the year ending March 2026, a seven per cent increase from the previous year. Race-related hate crimes rose by nine per cent to 107,926, while religious hate crimes increased by 13 per cent to 11,419.
The figures also recorded an increase in hate crimes targeting Hindus. Police recorded 210 religious hate crimes targeting Hindus in 2025-26, up 15 per cent from 182 in the previous year. These figures cover England and Wales and relate to reported offences classified by the police as religious hate crimes. They do not capture every instance of discrimination or harassment experienced by Hindu or Indian communities.
The Home Office data also showed that, among racially or religiously aggravated offences for which the victim’s ethnicity was recorded, around 34 per cent involved victims identified as Asian. However, the figures do not isolate Indian nationals or people of Indian origin, making it difficult to establish a nationwide rate of anti-Indian hate crime from these statistics alone.
Indian students form a major part of the UK’s international student population. Data published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) for the 2023-24 academic year showed that the number of new entrants from India fell by 15 per cent compared with the previous year, even as Indian students continued to represent an important source of international enrolments.
