A US-based research organization, the India Hate Lab, has published a report that catalogs and examines verified occurrences of in-person hate speech events in India during 2024. The report encompasses a range of mass gatherings, including political rallies, electoral campaign events, religious processions, protest marches, demonstrations, and cultural or nationalist assemblies.
For a profound understanding , some of its excerpts are being reproduced here:
- India Hate Lab (IHL) documented 1,165 in-person hate speech events targeting religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, in 2024 across 20 states, two union territories, and the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. On average, three hate speech events were held per day. This marks a 74.4% increase from 2023, when 668 such incidents were recorded.
- 1,147 (98.5%) speeches targeted Muslims—either explicitly (1,050) or alongside Christians (97)—while 115 (9.9%) targeted Christians, either explicitly (18) or alongside Muslims (97).
- 931 (79.9%) hate speech events took place in states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), or in union territories where the police and public order is under the purview of the BJP-led central government. The opposition ruled states recorded 234 (20%) hate speech events.
- Uttar Pradesh (242), Maharashtra (210), and Madhya Pradesh (98) ranked top among states for hate speech events. These three states, ruled by the BJP and their allies, collectively accounted for 47% of the total hate speech events recorded in 2024.
- BJP directly governed or ruled in coalition in seven of the ten states with the highest hate speech incidents.
- 462 (39.7%) hate speeches were delivered by politicians. BJP leaders were responsible for 452 of these speeches. Compared to 2023, when BJP politicians delivered 100 hate speeches, this represents an increase of 352%.
- Six of the ten most frequent purveyors of hate speech were politicians, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Adityanath delivered 86 (7.4%) hate speeches, while Modi delivered 63 hate speeches, accounting for 5.7% of all such speeches in 2024.
- 274 (23.5%) hate speeches called for the seizure, removal, or destruction of places of worship owned by Muslims or Christians. BJP politicians were responsible for 84 of these speeches, while 216 such gatherings were held in states governed by the BJP or its allies. Compared to 2023, hate speeches targeting places of worship rose by 62.1%.
- 123 (10.6%) hate speeches included an explicit call to arms, advocating for Hindus to procure and distribute weapons under the guise of “protection” from members of minority communities. Compared to 2023, such speeches rose by 32.3%.
- 111(9.5%) of hate speeches explicitly called for the social or economic boycott of minority communities, primarily Muslims. Compared to 2023, such speeches rose by 27.6%.
- 118 (10.1%) hate speech events in 2024 targeted the vulnerable Rohingya refugee community, while 182 (15.6%) speeches promoted the “Bangladeshi infiltrator” bogey. Hate speech against Rohingya refugees surged by 210% compared to 2023.
- 995 out of 1,165 hate speech events in 2024 were first shared or live streamed on social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and X, with Facebook leading at 495 events.
- Of 259 recorded instances of dangerous speech, including explicit calls for violence, 219 were first shared or live streamed on social media. Facebook accounted for 164 (74.9%), YouTube for 49 (22.4%), and Instagram for 6.
- As of February 6, 2025, only 3 of the reported videos have been removed by Facebook, while the remaining 98.4% continue to stay up across different platforms despite clear violations of community standards.
