- 14 January, 2026
Jan 14, 2025: More than 1,300 in-person hate speech incidents targeting religious minorities were documented across India in 2025, according to an annual report released by the India Hate Lab (IHL), a project of the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate (CSOH).
The report recorded 1,318 hate speech events across 21 states, primarily targeting Muslims and Christians. This marked a 13 percent increase from 2024 and a 97 percent rise from 2023, when 668 such incidents were documented.
The incidents were categorised using the United Nations definition of hate speech and included conspiracy theories, calls for violence and arms, appeals for social and economic boycotts, demands to seize or demolish places of worship, dehumanising language, and speeches targeting Rohingya refugees living in India.
“A total of 1,289 speeches, or 98 percent, targeted Muslims, either explicitly in 1,156 cases or alongside Christians in 133 cases, marking a nearly 12 percent increase from 2024. Hate speech targeting Christians was recorded in 162 incidents, accounting for 12 percent of all events, either explicitly in 29 cases or alongside Muslims in 133 cases. This reflects a 41 percent increase from the 115 anti-Christian hate speech incidents documented in 2024,” the report stated.
Concentration in BJP-ruled states
The majority of hate speech events occurred in states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Approximately 88 percent, or 1,164 incidents, took place in BJP-ruled states, BJP-led National Democratic Alliance coalition states, and BJP-administered Union Territories.
This represented a 25 percent increase from the 931 incidents recorded in these jurisdictions in 2024, highlighting what the report described as a heavy concentration of anti-minority hate speech in regions under BJP control.
Of the 23 states and Union Territories analysed, the BJP held power either independently or as part of a coalition in 16 jurisdictions for most of the year. Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of incidents at 266, followed by Maharashtra (193), Madhya Pradesh (172), Uttarakhand (155), and Delhi (76). Together, these five accounted for 65 percent of all hate speech events nationwide.
“By contrast, the seven states governed by opposition parties or coalitions recorded 154 hate speech events in 2025, a 34 percent decrease from the 234 incidents documented in these states in 2024,” a statement on behalf of the centre said.
Organisers and key actors
The report identified the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal as the most frequent organisers, linked to 289 hate speech events, or 22 percent of the total, followed by the Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) with 138 events. In total, more than 160 organisations and informal groups were identified as organisers or co-organisers of hate speech events in 2025.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami emerged as the most prolific hate speech actor with 71 speeches, followed by AHP chief Pravin Togadia with 46 and BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay with 35.
Hindu monks and religious leaders were linked to 145 hate speech incidents, a 27 percent increase from 2024, with the report noting that this continued to provide religious legitimacy to anti-minority rhetoric.
Rhetoric, targets, and online amplification
Nearly half of all hate speech events documented in 2025—656 incidents—involved conspiracy theories such as “love jihad,” “land jihad,” and “population jihad,” representing a 13 percent increase from the previous year. The report also recorded 308 speeches containing explicit calls for violence, including 136 that directly called for arms, reflecting a 19 percent rise in violent rhetoric.
Maharashtra recorded the highest number of dangerous speeches with 78 incidents, nearly 40 percent of which included calls for violence—the highest proportion reported for any state.
The report further documented 120 speeches calling for boycotts of minority communities, mainly Muslims, and 276 speeches demanding the removal or destruction of mosques, shrines, and churches. The Gyanvapi Mosque and Shahi Idgah Mosque in Uttar Pradesh were the most frequently targeted, signalling possible on-ground mobilisation.
Dehumanising language appeared in 141 speeches, with minorities described using terms such as “termites,” “parasites,” “insects,” “pigs,” “mad dogs,” “snakelings,” “green snakes,” and “bloodthirsty zombies.”
Social media played a central role in amplifying hate speech, with videos from 1,278 of the 1,318 events first uploaded or live-streamed online. Facebook accounted for 942 uploads, followed by YouTube (246), Instagram (67), and X (23).
“The data show that while domestic and international events continued to trigger episodic spikes in hate speech, the more striking trend was the persistence of an elevated baseline throughout the year,” said Dr Eviane Leidig, Director of Research at CSOH. She added that unlike previous years, when hate speech declined outside election periods, 2025 saw sustained mobilisation even during non-election phases.
Raqib Hameed Naik, Executive Director of CSOH, said the BJP’s election-period strategy of overt communal polarisation failed to deliver the decisive mandate anticipated in 2024, leading to a shift in approach rather than its abandonment.
“Our data show a move towards sustained, decentralised, ground-level mobilisation by Hindu nationalist groups within the RSS-led ecosystem, using rallies, religious events, and local processions to keep anti-Muslim fear and hostility active in everyday political life,” Naik said, adding that this pointed to a long-term strategy ahead of upcoming state elections and the 2029 general elections.
Courtesy: Maktoobmedia
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