New Delhi: The hate speeches targeting the Muslim community in the first half of 2023, when about 255 cases of divisive attempts were reported, showed that Maharashtra had the highest number of hate speech events, followed by Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, according to a study conducted by Washington DC-based Hindutva Watch.
The report identified the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and its youth wing, Bajrang Dal, as the most prominent groups involved in organizing hate speech events. Additionally, it revealed that leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party were responsible for 19 anti-Muslim hate speech events.
These events predominantly revolved around propagating anti-Muslim conspiracy theories such as "love jihad," "land jihad," and spreading misinformation about the Muslim population's growth in India.
The surge in hate speech incidents in March, coinciding with the Hindu festival of Ram Navami, raised suspicions of coordinated efforts to incite violence on that day, with 18 hate speech events reported across the country.
Alarmingly, at least 83 of these events involved direct calls for violence against Muslims, including calls for ethnic cleansing and genocide, as well as advocating for the destruction of Muslim places of worship. The report also documented at least 27 cases of calls to boycott goods and services provided by Muslims, along with attempts to exclude the community from various states.
The report concluded by pointing out that approximately 70% of these hate speech events took place in states scheduled for legislative elections in 2023 and 2024, suggesting a strategic approach by Hindu far-right groups aimed at inciting violence and potentially influencing electoral outcomes.
The findings have raised concerns among human rights activists and underscore the urgent need for measures to combat hate speech and protect minority communities in India.
According to the research group, nearly 80% of these hate speech events occurred in states and Union Territories governed by the BJP. The report utilized social media and news reports, employing data-scraping techniques to identify verifiable videos of hate speech events, followed by in-depth interviews with researchers and journalists as part of its methodology.
Given the absence of an official definition of "hate speech" in India, Hindutva Watch relied on the United Nations framework for categorization. The UN defines hate speech as any form of communication that employs prejudiced or discriminatory language towards individuals or groups based on attributes such as religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, colour, descent, gender, or other identity factors.
The report concluded by pointing out that approximately 70% of these hate speech events took place in states scheduled for legislative elections in 2023 and 2024, suggesting a strategic approach by Hindu far-right groups aimed at inciting violence and potentially influencing electoral outcomes.