Hate speech targeting religious minorities in India intensified and became structurally embedded in political governance in 2025, according to a new report by India Hate Lab, a project of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate.
The report documented 1,318 verified in-person hate speech events across the country in 2025, averaging four incidents per day. This represents a 13 percent increase from 2024 and a 97 percent rise from 2023, signaling what the group described as a new phase in which hate speech has shifted from an election-linked tactic to a normalized feature of everyday political life.
According to the findings, Muslims were targeted in 98 percent of recorded incidents, either alone or alongside Christians. Hate speech directed at Christians rose sharply, with 162 incidents recorded, marking a 41 percent increase from the previous year. The report also documented repeated targeting of Rohingya refugees and Bengali-origin Muslims through narratives portraying them as foreign infiltrators.
The highest number of hate speech events were recorded in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi. The report found that 88 percent of all incidents occurred in states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), either directly or through coalition partners. In contrast, opposition-ruled states recorded a significant decline in incidents during the same period.
The report noted that hate speech in 2025 remained elevated even outside election cycles, underscoring a shift toward sustained, ground-level mobilization. April recorded the highest monthly spike, coinciding with Ram Navami processions and rallies following the Pahalgam terror attack. Additional surges were linked to state elections, cross-border incidents, and nationwide mobilizations organized by Hindu nationalist groups.
Nearly half of all documented speeches referenced conspiracy theories, including claims of “love jihad,” “population jihad,” and other narratives portraying religious minorities as existential threats. The report identified 308 speeches containing explicit calls for violence, including 136 instances calling for people to arm themselves, alongside repeated appeals for economic boycotts and the removal or destruction of places of worship.
The findings also highlighted the role of organized Hindu nationalist groups in sustaining the hate speech ecosystem. Groups affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh were identified as the most frequent organizers, with more than 160 organizations and informal groups involved nationwide. Political leaders, religious figures, and local influencers were repeatedly named as speakers at these events.
Social media platforms played a central role in amplifying the rhetoric. Videos from 1,278 of the 1,318 events were first shared or live-streamed online, primarily on Facebook and YouTube, enabling rapid national dissemination of speeches delivered at local gatherings.
The report concluded that the sustained rise and geographic spread of hate speech has heightened the vulnerability of Muslim and Christian communities to harassment, discrimination, and violence, while raising concerns about the erosion of legal safeguards and the failure of digital platforms to enforce their own policies.
