Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami emerged as top hate speech actor in India, according to CSOH report

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami emerged as top hate speech actor in India, according to CSOH report

Dehradun, Jan 16

In it’s latest, “ Report 2025: Hate Speech Events in India” of the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate (CSOH) , Washinton DC, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has emerged as the most prolific hate-speech actor in 2025, with 71 speeches, followed by Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad chief Pravin Togadia (46) and BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay (35).

India Hate Lab (IHL) of the CSOH documented 1,318 hate speech events targeting religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, in 2025 across 21 states, one union territory, and the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. On average, four hate speech events occurred per day. This marks a 13% increase from 2024, and 97% increase from 2023, when 668 such incidents were recorded.

A total of 1,289 speeches, or 98 percent, targeted Muslims, either explicitly in 1,156 cases or alongside Christians in 133 cases. This represents an increase of nearly 12 percent from the 1,147 instances recorded in 2024.

As per the report, hate speech targeting Christians was recorded in 162 incidents, accounting for 12 percent of all events, either explicitly in 29 cases or alongside Muslims in 133 cases. This represents a nearly 41 percent increase from the 115 anti-Christian hate speech incidents documented in 2024.

Uttar Pradesh (266), Maharashtra (193), Madhya Pradesh (172), Uttarakhand (155), and Delhi (76) recorded the highest number of hate speech events. Across the 23 states and Union Territories analyzed, the BJP held power, either independently or as part of a coalition, in 16 jurisdictions for most of the year.

1,164 hate speech incidents (88 percent) occurred in states governed by the BJP, either directly or with coalition partners, as well as in BJP-administered Union Territories, reflecting a 25 percent increase from the 931 incidents recorded in 2024.

Seven opposition-ruled states recorded 154 hate speech events in 2025, a 34 percent decrease from the 234 incidents documented in these states in 2024.

April recorded the highest monthly spike, with 158 hate speech events coinciding with Ram Navami processions and hate rallies organized in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

In the 16-day period between April 22 and May 7, following the Pahalgam attack and preceding active hostilities between India and Pakistan, 98 in-person hate speech events were documented, indicating rapid and nationwide anti-Muslim mobilization.

A total of 656 hate speeches (nearly 50 percent) referenced conspiracy theories, including “love jihad,” “land jihad,” “population jihad,” “thook (spit) jihad,” “education jihad,” “drug jihad,” and “vote jihad,” representing a 13 percent increase from the previous year.

A total of 308 speeches (23 percent) contained explicit calls for violence, while 136 speeches included direct calls to arms.

Maharashtra recorded the highest number of dangerous speeches, with 78 incidents, up from 64 in 2024. Nearly 40 percent of the state’s 193 hate speech events involved explicit calls for violence, the highest proportion recorded for any state.

120 hate speeches explicitly called for social or economic boycotts of minority communities, primarily Muslims, reflecting an 8 percent increase from 2024.

276 speeches called for the removal or destruction of places of worship, including mosques, shrines, and churches. The most frequently targeted sites in 2025 were the Gyanvapi Mosque and the Shahi Idgah Mosque in Uttar Pradesh.

Dehumanizing language appeared in 141 speeches, with minorities described using terms such as “termites,” “parasites,” “insects,” “pigs,” “mad dogs,” “snakelings,” “green snakes,” and “bloodthirsty zombies.”

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal emerged as the most frequent organizers, linked to 289 hate speech events (22 percent), followed by Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (138 events). More than 160 organizations and informal groups were identified as organizers or co-organizers in 2025.

Hindu monks and religious leaders were involved in 145 hate speech incidents, a 27 percent increase from 2024, continuing to provide religious legitimacy to anti-minority rhetoric.

A total of 69 hate speech events targeted Rohingya refugees, while 192 speeches invoked the “Bangladeshi infiltrator” trope, frequently used to stigmatize Bengali-origin Muslims as foreigners.

Videos from 1,278 of the 1,318 hate speech events were first shared or live-streamed on social media platforms. Facebook accounted for 942 of the first uploads, followed by YouTube (246), Instagram (67), and X (23), highlighting the central role of social media in amplifying hate speech.