A Midlands daily is running a series of features to mark the 40th anniversary of Idi Amin’s notorious decision to expel Uganda’s Asian population.

The mass expulsion saw around 10,000 refugees arrive in Leicester and had a major impact on the city’s subsequent development.

Now the Leicester Mercury is commemotrating the event with a series of features in the paper.

It launched the series with the moving story of Manjula Sachdev, whose husband has not been seen since he was abducted by soldiers in Uganda in 1972, but who has never given up hope that he may be alive.

Editor Richard Bettsworth said: “Regrettably, the reception the Ugandan Asians initially received in this country was not altogether welcoming.

“In the years that followed, however, attitudes have markedly changed and the way in which the Asian community has flourished in Leicester has become one of the great success stories of multicultural Britain.

“That is a tribute to the many individuals who started with nothing but whose hard work and entrepreneurial skills have become a great strength of the city’s economy, and it is also a tribute to the welcome given by the wider Leicester population.

“We are proud to serve a city which has earned an international reputation as a place where people from different cultures live and work together in peace and harmony and pleased to mark this significant anniversary with the support of Leicester Asian Business Association.”