A new report has highlighted a disturbing rise in hate speech incidents targeting religious minorities in India, with a 74.4% increase in 2024 compared to the previous year. According to the India Hate Lab, a project by the Washington-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate, there were 1,165 recorded incidents of hate speech last year, a sharp escalation that signals a concerning trend, particularly in states governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The majority of these incidents—98.5%—were directed at Muslims, with many instances targeting the community either explicitly or alongside Christians. Christians also made up nearly 10% of the targets. The report indicates that nearly 80% of the hate speech events occurred in BJP-ruled states or federal territories, with Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh leading the nation in incidents. Together, these states contributed to almost half of the total recorded hate speech events.
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