Hate speech against religious minorities rose sharply in 2025, finds India Hate Lab
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.
Geographically, the data show a heavy concentration in states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party or its allies. Nearly 88 percent of all recorded incidents occurred in BJP-ruled states, coalition-led National Democratic Alliance states, or BJP-administered Union Territories. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi together accounted for nearly two-thirds of the incidents nationwide. These occurrences were less common in states governed by opposition parties than in 2024.
The report also identifies the organizations and individuals most frequently linked to these gatherings. Groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad were named as leading organizers. More than 160 organizations or informal groups were connected to hate speech events during the year. Among individuals, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was recorded as delivering the highest number of speeches flagged under the study’s criteria, followed by Hindutva leader Pravin Togadia and BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay.
Religious figures, including Hindu monks and religious leaders, took part in 145 activities, which added religious validity to political rhetoric against minorities. Nearly half of all statements evoked conspiracy theories such as “love jihad” and “population jihad,” while more than 300 included explicit demands for violence or the use of guns. Maharashtra had the highest number of remarks deemed especially harmful due to violent content.
Researchers also noted a rise in calls for boycotts and the removal or destruction of mosques, shrines and churches and specific sites like the Gyanvapi Mosque and the Shahi Idgah Mosque were named several times. Minorities were described using demeaning language, such as pests, animals, or illness.
Social media played a central role in amplifying these events. Videos from nearly all recorded incidents were first uploaded or live-streamed online, primarily on Facebook, followed by YouTube, Instagram and X.
Raqib Hameed Naik, Executive Director of the CSOH said “The BJP’s election-period strategy of overt communal polarization failed to deliver the decisive mandate it anticipated in 2024, leading to a shift in approach rather than an abandonment of that strategy.”
He further added “Our data show a move toward sustained, decentralized, ground-level mobilization by Hindu nationalist groups within the RSS-led ecosystem, using rallies, religious events, and local processions to keep anti-Muslim fear and hostility active in everyday political life. This points to a long-term strategy aimed at shaping the political landscape ahead of upcoming state elections and the 2029 general elections.”
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UK imposes study visa bans on Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, Sudan
London (PTI): The UK on Wednesday imposed a study visa ban on four countries accused of using the route as a backdoor entry to seek permanent refuge in the country, as part of a wider clampdown on the soaring rates of asylum applications.
The so-called "emergency brake" on student visas applies to Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, with Afghans also subject to a skilled worker visa ban following a major surge in asylum claims from these countries.
The move comes as UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood introduces new legislation in Parliament this week, with the visa brake to be introduced via an Immigration Rules change on Thursday to come into force on March 26.
"Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution, but our visa system must not be abused," said Mahmood.
“That is why I am taking the unprecedented decision to refuse visas for those nationals seeking to exploit our generosity. I will restore order and control to our borders,” she said.
According to official statistics released by the Home Office alongside the visa ban announcement, asylum applications by students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan rocketed by over 470 per cent between 2021 and 2025 – making them among the most likely nationalities to claim asylum.
Meanwhile, the number of Afghans on work visas claiming asylum now outstripping the number of visas issued.
In what has been described as an “unprecedented step”, the Home Office said it will end sponsored study visas from all four countries and skilled worker visas for Afghan nationals.
“Tough action is required as asylum claims from legal routes have more than trebled since 2021 – making up 39 per cent of the 100,000 people who applied last year. In total, 133,760 people have claimed asylum after arriving legally in the past five years,” the Home Office said.
It said these refugees end up having to be accommodated at the expense of the British taxpayer, with an “above average proportion” of people from the four countries claiming destitution.
“Asylum support is currently costing more than 4 billion pounds a year – with nearly 16,000 nationals from the four countries currently supported at public expense, including over 6,000 in hotels," it added.
According to official data, between 2021 and the year ending September 2025, the proportion of Afghan asylum claims to study visas issued was 95 per cent, applications by students from Myanmar soared 16-fold over the same period and claims by students from Cameroon and Sudan spiked by more than 330 per cent.
The government pointed to its success in reducing student asylum claims by 20 per cent over the course of 2025, but stressed that further action is needed as those arriving on study visas still make up 13 per cent of all claims in the system.
The visa ban announcement comes on the back of Mahmood's announcement earlier this week that asylum status in the UK will be temporary, to be reviewed after 30 months.
