This man said he supported Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) - a group whose founders took inspiration from Mussolini’s fascists. (See this @guardian long read below for more about RSS and its influence in India today👇🏼.)

He said India’s independence did not truly begin until Narendra Modi took office as PM, eight years ago, and that Modi’s leadership was the panacea for “jihadist Muslims” in India. Muslims were a problem in the U.K., helmet man said, pointing to grooming gangs in Rotherham.

This man exuberantly professed how great and altruistic RSS was, a stone’s throw away from a statue of Gandhi that stands adjacent to a Hindu temple. The irony here being that Gandhi was assassinated by an RSS member (who the RSS claim had left by then).

The interview got heated when another man, an RSS member, accused me of bias when I shared concerns about yesterday’s impromptu marchers chanting “Jai Shri Ram,” a Hindu chant appropriated by extremists in India, that has now become synonymous with anti-Muslim hatred.

A witness on green lane road where they marched, shared how these men swore at women peeping out of their windows and doors. There were some violent scuffles too. She has locked her shop door for fear of retaliation, after seeing this unfold on her doorstep.

Back to the interview. Another man joined the discussion, and very quickly, all three began shouting at me. It was an extremely uncomfortable position to be in.

In short, I was accused of being a member of the Taliban, an extremist, playing the victim card. I was accused of not scrutinising Pakistan’s treatment of its minorities and fixating on India’s treatment of its minorities, of ignoring how Muslims are raping everyone.

If I were a white journalist, and not visibly Muslim, suffice to say I would not have faced this level of scrutiny. But it is what it is. It’s hard not to let your emotions get the better of you, when you’re attacked in this way, fortunately only verbally.

I was also filmed, and I was refuted, very emphatically by one young British Hindu man in particular who also joined the discussion, and said that the fascist inspiration that underpinned the inception of RSS? It was not true.

We eventually all went our separate ways. I tried to listen. To question. But the accusations of bias, and the constant shutting down, it was hard to get a word in edge ways. I heard one of the men was later detained by the police.

There is no doubt these men were not representative of the Hindu community. “We condemn the insensitive and utterly disgraceful acts on the streets of Belgrave and North Evington,” said a collective statement by leaders of Hindu and Jain temples, and community organisations.

There were some lovely things I observed. I accompanied local activist from the Muslim community, @Majstar7 , who escorted a woman with a sindooram on her forehead, to her home near Belgrave road.

A group of Muslim men had gathered in protest a stone’s throw away, there was around 50 police officers with high-vis jackets, helmets and batons, tensions were still running high. Her son gratefully shook Freeman’s hands with both of his own when Freeman left her at her doorstep

Nearby, I watched an English woman hold back tears, as she scrubbed blood from her window sill with some anti-bacterial wipes. Remnants of yesterday’s violence when there was a stand off between a group of Muslim and Hindu men. Close by, a red car had had its rear window smashed.

There was a peaceful gathering of mostly young Muslims in Belgrave road today, but the anger was palpable, and anxiety hung on the mouths of local residents, who looked out their front doors with concern after a night of chaos they hope will not return.

Some footage of my interview with helmet man, that snowballed into a shouting match with an RSS member. Compared to the palpable aggression and fear that hung around Leicester yesterday, this paled in comparison, although it is a concerning hazard of being a journalist.

Here are the bare bones of some of my reporting today. Hopefully much more in-depth reporting to follow, later this week.

A follow-up report on the unrest in Leicester. On Saturday evening, a flag was removed outside one Hindu temple, another burned. Also, an exclusive from my colleague Rajeev Syal: Nearly half of those arrested over the weekend were from outside the county.

I spoke with Dharmesh Lakhani, who represents and works with Hindu temples across Leicester. He confirmed one flag outside the Shivalaya temple in Belgrave Road was removed while the other was burned. Videos have been circulating around social media of the unfortunate incident.

Lakhani also spoke to me of Leicester's long history of Muslims and Hindus living side-by-side for decades, and how recent years have seen tensions come to the fore for a variety of reasons.

Of the incident where a flag was removed by a youth who was Muslim, Lakhani said: “I’m really proud to say on that day, when the flag was removed, there was an Imam outside. He said I’m standing outside the mandir [temple], making sure nothing happens.”