Report finds surge in hate speech across India after 2025 Pakistan clash

Independent.co reports that a new India Hate Lab (IHL) report, produced by the Washington DC-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate, found hate speech targeting Muslims and Christians surged across India in 2025 amid the country’s border conflict with Pakistan. IHL documented 1,318 hate speech events last year — an average of four a day — a 13 per cent rise on 2024 and nearly double 2023.

The report links a concentrated burst of activity to the aftermath of a 22 April terror attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed, and the subsequent air strikes and four-day clashes with Pakistan; 98 in-person events were recorded between 22 April and 7 May. Nearly 88 per cent of incidents occurred in states governed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, with Uttar Pradesh (266), Maharashtra (193), Madhya Pradesh (172), Uttarakhand (155) and Delhi (76) recording the most events.

The IHL said almost a quarter of speeches contained explicit calls for violence, more than 270 called for removal or destruction of places of worship — often naming the Gyanvapi and Shahi Idgah mosques — and at least 120 urged boycotts; nearly half referenced conspiracy theories such as 'love jihad' and 'population jihad'.

Key Topics

Politics, India Hate Lab, Pahalgam Attack, Bharatiya Janata Party, Muslims, Gyanvapi Mosque