As India gears up for the general election this year, a report released by research group India Hate Lab sheds light on a worrying trend: Anti-Muslim hate speech in India soared by 62% in the latter half of 2023 compared to the first six months of the year. The research group, based in Washington, DC, also highlighted the influence of the Israel-Gaza conflict on this spike, particularly in the last three months of the year.

The report marks the first comprehensive mapping of anti-Muslim hate speech across the country. In 2023, a total of 668 hate speech incidents targeting Muslims were recorded, with 255 occurring in the first half of the year and 413 in the second half, the report noted.

Key findings show that India witnessed an average of almost two instances of anti-Muslim hate speech per day and 75% of these events occurred in states governed by the Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party. Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh emerged as the hotspots for such hate speech, collectively accounting for 43% of the total recorded incidents last year. Notably, these states boast some of the largest voter bases in the country and are currently under BJP rule.

Moreover, relatively small states such as Haryana and Uttarakhand also witnessed significant proportions of hate speech incidents. Haryana saw 48 such events (7.2%), while Uttarakhand accounted for 6% of such incidents. These instances of hate speech often escalated into violence. For instance, in August last year, seven people died and over 70 sustained injuries during violence in Haryana’s Nuh region. Similarly, earlier this month, in Uttarakhand, five Muslims were killed in Haldwani while protesting the demolition of a mosque and religious school.

The period between August and November last year marked a peak in hate speech events, according to the report, coinciding with political campaigning and polling in four major states. On top of this, the report said that between 7 October—the day Hamas attacked Israel, followed by Israel’s war on Gaza—and the end of December, there were 41 recorded instances of hate speech targeting Indian Muslims referencing the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The report used the United Nations’ definition of hate speech and employed various methods to compile the data, including tracking online activities of Hindu nationalist groups, verifying videos of hate speech on social media and collecting information of isolated incidents reported by Indian media.

Several rights groups have consistently alleged the mistreatment of Muslims under Modi’s leadership. Key concerns include the “fundamentally discriminatory” 2019 citizenship law, anti-conversion laws, the revocation of Kashmir’s special status, demolition of Muslim properties under the pretext of removing illegal construction and the hijab ban in classrooms in Karnataka during the BJP's tenure.

However, Modi continues to deny that discrimination against minorities exists in India. Countries, including the United States, have expressed concern over targeted attacks against religious minorities in India.

Last month, the Indian government blocked access to the IHL website under the Information Technology Act, 2000. Similarly, the website of Hindutva Watch, another independent hate-crime tracker run by IHL founder Raqib Hameed Naik, was also blocked.

Last year in September, Hindutva Watch also released a report that recorded that India had more than one incident of anti-Muslim hate speech per day on average till June. Such incidents were particularly prevalent in states where elections were looming.

IHL and Hindutva Watch monitor incidents of religiously motivated violence carried out by supporters of India’s right-wing government. During Modi's tenure, there has been a decline in press freedom in India, limiting the platforms available for critical reporting on the government's policies and their effects on minority communities. And as elections approach, Naik anticipates a “surge in hate crimes”.

“Our analysis shows that anti-Muslim hate speech has been normalised and become part of India’s socio-political sphere,” said Naik. “We foresee rampant use of anti-Muslim hate during the upcoming general elections to polarise voters.”