NEW DELHI — India witnessed a sharp and troubling rise in hate speech during 2025, with Muslims bearing the brunt of a trend that rights groups say has moved from election rhetoric into daily political and social life. According to a detailed new report by India Hate Lab, a total of 1,318 hate speech incidents targeting religious minorities were recorded last year, marking a 13 percent increase from 2024 and a 97 percent rise compared to 2023.
The findings paint a stark picture of how hate speech has become routine, public, and often unchecked, leaving Muslim communities across the country feeling exposed, unsafe, and unsure of protection despite constitutional guarantees of equality and freedom.
The report, released in January 2026, shows that 98 per cent of all recorded hate speech incidents in 2025 were directed against Muslims. Rights workers say this scale of targeting cannot be treated as random or isolated. Instead, they describe it as a sustained campaign affecting how Muslims live, work, study, and move in public spaces.
“This level of targeting tells us that hate speech against Muslims is no longer an exception,” a Delhi-based civil rights activist said. “It has become part of the noise of everyday politics, and that is deeply dangerous.”