US-based think tank says hate speech against Muslims and Christians surged by 13% in 2025, with most incidents in BJP-governed states.
Newsroom (16/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) Hate speech targeting religious minorities in India surged sharply in 2025, marking a 13 percent increase from the previous year, according to a new report by the US-based think tank India Hate Lab (IHL). Released on January 13, the report documents 1,318 verified cases of hate speech nationwide — nearly four incidents every day.
The findings reflect an unsettling trend of growing intolerance, particularly against Muslims and Christians, across India’s social and political landscape. According to the IHL, 98 percent of the documented hate speech instances — or 1,289 events — targeted Muslims, either alone or alongside Christians.
BJP-led States See Highest Numbers
The surge was concentrated largely in states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which espouses a Hindu nationalist ideology. Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of incidents with 266 cases, followed by Maharashtra (193), Madhya Pradesh (172), Uttarakhand (155), and the national capital, Delhi, with 76.
The report noted that these hate-filled speeches and events often occur at political rallies, religious processions, protest marches, and cultural gatherings — spaces that have “increasingly become platforms for inflammatory rhetoric.”
In total, hate speech instances were recorded across 21 states, one union territory under direct federal control, and Delhi, highlighting the breadth of the problem.
Amplified by Social Media
Perhaps more troubling, 1,278 of the 1,318 incidents were captured on video and widely shared across social media platforms, greatly amplifying their reach. This digital virality, the report warns, has made hate speech a “routine feature of political mobilization” with tangible real-world consequences.
“Hate speech has become a routine tool for mobilizing the Hindu far right,” the report stated. “Such rhetoric deepens social divisions, polarizes voters, strengthens majoritarian politics, and increases the risk of real-world violence against minorities.”
Activists Call for Stronger Legal Measures
Father Cedric Prakash, a Jesuit priest and human rights advocate based in Gujarat, told UCA News that there was “no doubt hate speech targets mainly Muslims and Christians.”
“It is natural that minorities — despite being equal citizens — must live in fear and insecurity,” he said, adding that stronger laws and judicial action were needed to deter offenders.
A.C. Michael, convenor of the United Christian Forum (UCF) and former member of the Delhi Minorities Commission, echoed these concerns. “People in power themselves are found to be involved in hate speeches,” he said. “The judiciary has failed to address this national menace resolutely.”
Violence Rising in Tandem
Data from UCF underscores a disturbing trajectory. The organization recorded 834 incidents of anti-Christian violence in 2024 — up from just 139 in 2014. That 500 percent increase translates to an average rise of nearly 70 incidents each year, suggesting what the report calls “a steady and systematic escalation” rather than isolated episodes.
The IHL report links this pattern of rising violence to the growing normalization of hate speech within India’s political discourse, particularly under the BJP-led government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Analysts note that such rhetoric often serves to consolidate political support among Hindu nationalist bases while marginalizing religious minorities.
Denials and Disputes
The BJP has dismissed IHL’s findings, labeling them a “biased portrayal” of India designed to tarnish its image abroad. However, the IHL — a project of the Washington-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate — maintains that its methodology follows the United Nations’ framework for defining and classifying hate speech.
Human rights observers warn that without decisive legal and institutional intervention, India risks normalizing hate-based politics as a permanent feature of its democracy. As Father Prakash remarked, “Only when the judiciary and government act fearlessly against hate speech will the tide begin to turn.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
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