54 killed in 322 hate crimes against minorities across India in nine months

NEW DELHI, November 11, 2026: At least 54 people were killed in 322 reported hate crimes targeting religious minorities across India between January and September 2026, according to a report released by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), raising fresh concerns over the safety of religious minorities and accountability for targeted violence.

The report, based on APCR’s Hate Crime Tracker, documented incidents involving Muslims and Christians across 24 states and Union Territories between January 1 and September 30. It also alleged the involvement of state authorities in 119 incidents, accounting for nearly 37 per cent of the reported cases.

Of the 54 deaths recorded, 21 occurred in incidents involving state authorities, including 12 deaths in alleged police or security force encounters and nine deaths in police custody or prison. The report highlighted the deaths of brothers Zeeshan and Gulfam in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, and 70-year-old Zaheer Shaikh, who died in police custody in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The tracker found that Muslims were the primary targets, accounting for 307 of the 322 incidents. Fourteen cases targeted Christians, while one involved both communities.

Christian-related incidents were largely linked to allegations of religious conversion. Among the cases documented was an attack on a prayer meeting attended by more than 25 people in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.

The report also raised concerns about the role of law enforcement agencies in incidents involving religious minorities. Police personnel were reportedly involved in 81 of the documented cases. It further recorded 40 instances in which First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered against people who were themselves victims of the reported incidents.

In a separate assessment released alongside the hate crime report, APCR documented 83 instances of hate speech involving 57 speakers across at least 16 states during the same nine-month period. Thirty-three of the speeches were attributed to individuals holding public office, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and four chief ministers.

The report said 37 of the recorded speeches contained calls for violence or appeals for Hindus to arm themselves. Despite the number of incidents documented, only one hate speech case reportedly resulted in an arrest.

The findings were released in New Delhi on November 10 at a gathering attended by civil rights activists, researchers, journalists and public intellectuals, who discussed the growing concerns surrounding religiously motivated violence and the accountability of state institutions.

APCR called for greater accountability in cases of hate crimes and hate speech, effective implementation of the Supreme Court's directions and protection for individuals and organisations documenting violations of civil and constitutional rights.

The organisation cautioned that its tracker reflects reported and documented incidents rather than the complete scale of violence, suggesting that the actual number of cases could be higher.

(Courtesy: The Telegraph)

Picture Courtesy : The Telegraph