India witnessed an alarming 74.4 percent increase in hate speech incidents in 2024 compared to 2023, with political leaders, especially from the governing Bharatiya Janata Party, playing a central role in spreading anti-minority rhetoric. According to a report by the India Hate Lab, 1,165 verified in-person hate speech events were documented across the country – up from 668 incidents in 2023.

The report highlights a clear pattern: most incidents coincided with key electoral events, including the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and state elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 242 hate speech events, followed by Maharashtra with 210. Both states are BJP strongholds.

It should be noted that the India Hate Lab website was blocked in India just before the general polls under orders issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology under Section 69 of the IT Act.Madhyr

Hate speech as an electoral strategy

Hate speeches peaked in May 2024, during the general elections, with 269 incidents recorded in that month alone. Senior BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, were among the most prominent figures responsible for these speeches.

For instance, in an April rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara, Modi referred to Muslims as “infiltrators”, triggering a wave of similar rhetoric across the country. The report notes that in the 43 days following this speech, India saw more than 300 hate speech incidents– an average of over seven per day.

Adityanath, known for his hardline Hindutva stance, delivered 86 hate speeches in 2024, many of which invoked conspiracies like “love jihad” and “vote jihad.” His speeches often portrayed Muslims as threats to Hindu wealth, culture, and security.

Social media’s role

Out of the 1,165 documented incidents, 995 were traced back to videos uploaded or live-streamed on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter). Despite having community guidelines against hate speech, these platforms failed to curb the spread of such content, the report states. Facebook alone hosted 495 hate speech videos.

The BJP also used its official social media channels to amplify hate speech. During the general elections, 266 anti-minority speeches by senior BJP leaders were simultaneously live-streamed across YouTube, Facebook, and X.

Conspiracy theories and calls for violence

Nearly half of the documented hate speeches (581 incidents) included conspiracy theories such as “love jihad”, “land jihad”, and “vote jihad”. The report also identified 259 instances of direct calls to violence, 123 speeches advocating for armed mobilisation, and 274 speeches targeting places of worship, mostly mosques.

Muslims were the primary targets in 98.5 percent of the incidents, while Christians were targeted in 115 events, either explicitly or alongside anti-Muslim rhetoric. Anti-Christian hate speech peaked in December, coinciding with Christmas celebrations.

BJP’s dominance in hate speech

States led by the BJP accounted for nearly 80 percent of all hate speech events in 2024. The report also found that the BJP directly organised 340 hate speech events – an astonishing 580 percent increase from 2023. Organizations affiliated with the Sangh Parivar, such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, were responsible for 279 events.

Notably, even states governed by opposition parties like the Congress or Aam Aadmi Party were not immune. Himachal Pradesh, for instance, saw a 269 percent spike in hate speech incidents, with far-right groups actively mobilising anti-minority sentiments.

Silence by agencies

The Election Commission of India, despite having the authority to act against communal campaigning, did little beyond issuing notices. The report criticises this inaction, pointing out that the Model Code of Conduct – which prohibits appeals to communal sentiments for votes – was repeatedly violated during the elections.

The report concludes that hate speech is no longer an outlier in Indian politics. It’s now part of mainstream electoral strategies, normalised through both state-backed narratives and the silence of law enforcement agencies.

“Hate speech in India is not spontaneous outrage – it is strategic, deliberate, and often politically sanctioned,” the report states.

It is findings like these that triggered our latest investigative series, The Hindu Rashtra Project. In Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, our team will trace the various players attempting to build a Hindu state. Click here to contribute.