Report Documents Rise in Hate Speech Targeting Minorities in India

A report by the India Hate Lab has documented 1,318 in-person hate speech events targeting religious minorities in India during 2025, including incidents directed primarily at Muslims and Christians.

According to the report, the 2025 figure represented a 97% increase from 2023, when 668 such incidents were recorded, while the number was 13% higher than in 2024.

The report said 1,289 of the 1,318 recorded events involved speeches targeting Muslims, either exclusively or alongside Christians.

The incidents were documented across 21 states, one Union Territory and the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The report said the events included rhetoric involving calls for violence, social or economic boycotts and attacks on religious minorities.

The figures cited in the report relate specifically to documented hate-speech events and should not be treated as a measure of all forms of discrimination or violence against minorities in India.

The report has renewed discussion over the treatment of religious minorities and the role of political and social rhetoric in India’s public sphere.