A recent report by India Hate Lab (IHL), an initiative tracking hate speech and hate crimes in India, documented at least 1,318 verified in-person hate speech events nationwide in 2025. The report highlighted “a new baseline of permissiveness for the public expression of hate.” India witnessed a further escalation in public hate speech targeting religious minorities – specifically Muslims and Christians – since an ‘unprecedented surge’ in such events in 2024.
The figure represents a 13% increase from 2024, when 1,165 incidents were recorded, and a 97% increase from 2023, when the total stood at 668. Hate speeches were recorded across 21 states, one Union Territory, and NCT Delhi, averaging nearly four hate speech events per day. The report noted that the phenomenon has become increasingly routine and institutionalised across political, religious, and social platforms – shifting from an episodic campaign tactic to a continuous and normalized instrument of mobilization and governance.