Washington, DC : At least 1,318 in-person hate speech events targeting religious minorities were recorded across India in 2025, showing a significant rise in public rhetoric directed largely at Muslims and Christians, according to a new annual report by the India Hate Lab.
The report which is a project of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, notes a steady escalation over recent years, with incidents increasing by 13 percent compared to 2024 and nearly doubling since 2023. The documentation includes speeches that promoted conspiracy theories, issued calls for violence, encouraged social and economic boycotts, demanded the seizure or destruction of places of worship, employed dehumanizing language, or targeted Rohingya refugees living in India.
Of the 1,289 speeches analyzed, 98 percent focused on Muslims, either directly or alongside Christians. Hate speech involving Christians appeared in 162 incidents, a sharp rise from the previous year. Researchers noted that these patterns indicate a widening scope of anti-minority rhetoric rather than isolated spikes, using the United Nations definition of hate speech.