Huge surge in hate speeches; 88% from BJP-ruled states, says India Hate Lab report

New Delhi: India saw a sharp rise in hate speeches against religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, in 2025, with 88% occurring in BJP-ruled states, reveals the India Hate Lab (IHL) report. This 100-page analysis, from the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, recorded 1,318 events, averaging four daily, a 13% increase from 1,165 in 2024 and 97% from 668 in 2023.

Of these, 1,289 speeches (98%) targeted Muslims: explicitly in 1,156 cases and alongside Christians in 133 others, up nearly 12% from 1,147 in 2024. Anti-Christian hate affected 162 cases (12%), explicitly in 29 or combined with Muslims in 133. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami led with speeches promoting "love jihad," "land jihad," and "thook jihad" theories, amid his state's demolitions of Muslim properties as "illegal encroachments" and patterns of communal violence.

BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh (266 incidents), Maharashtra (193), Madhya Pradesh (172), Uttarakhand (155), and Delhi (76) dominated, while Kerala had the fewest; Congress-led Karnataka (40), Telangana (16), and Himachal Pradesh (29) followed. Key calls included 120 for social/economic boycotts (mostly Muslims) and 276 for destroying worship sites like mosques, shrines, and churches. AHP's Praveen Togadia ranked second, Amit Shah sixth, and Yogi Adityanath ninth.

The UN-defined categories covered conspiracy theories, violence calls, dehumanization, and refugee targeting, with a Quint report noting Christmas attacks on Christians.