The unprecedented rise of hate speech targeting the Muslim community in Kerala saw SNDP chief Vellappally Natesan leading the list, followed by Adv. A. Jayashankar and P.C. George, while no fewer than 909 cases were recorded in the state between January 2025 and March 2026, as per a record that also shows police inaction; despite the Supreme Court order that suo motu cases be filed in such instances, inaction prevailed even after complaints.
The data, compiled by the Islamophobia Research Collective, documented 659 incidents during 2025, while 250 cases were reported in the first three months of 2026 alone, indicating a continuing escalation rather than a transient spike. Analysts asserted that hate speech, discriminatory mobilisation, and orchestrated prejudicial campaigns collectively formed the dominant pattern, Maktoob Media reported.
SNDP general secretary Natesan accounted for at least 60 documented hate speeches in 2025, while political commentator Jayashankar and BJP leader P. C. George each crossed the threshold of 50 instances.
Baburaj Bhagavathy, one of the members leading the documentation effort, characterised the scale and recurrence of the incidents to Maktoob Media as alarming, particularly in view of what he termed a conspicuous absence of legal follow-up, adding that in many cases, complaints were not filed, and even when they were submitted, police action remained largely absent.
He further observed that Islamophobic campaigns tend to intensify during electoral time, and that the atmosphere in Kerala, which has entered campaign mode ahead of polling scheduled on April 9, could precipitate a surge in such rhetoric targeting Muslim leaders, organisations, religious symbols, and places.
Allegations of procedural inertia were also raised by complainants, including Raihanath Kappan, who stated that multiple complaints she filed against alleged hate propaganda disseminated through YouTube channels were not registered.
Another instance cited involved K.R. Indira, who had earlier posted remarks urging Hindus to arm themselves, statements which followed previous charges under Section 153A of the IPC linked to comments made in the context of the National Register of Citizens, yet the complaint filed by activist M.R. Vipindas reportedly saw no substantive follow-up, with police later stating that the accused was not traceable.
The documentation also highlighted instances where complainants themselves faced legal action, including the booking of social activist Usman Kattappana after he criticised Indira’s comments.
Concerns were also raised regarding the involvement of political actors across ideological spectrums, with criticism directed at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for defending remarks attributed to Natesan, while Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan accused the government of enabling communal polarisation through indirect endorsement.