Overall, 42% of all hate speech gatherings in 17 states which includes two centrally controlled territories were organized by groups affiliated with the RSS
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – Eighty percent of the events where hate speeches were made targeting the Muslim community were held in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states with Maharashtra witnessing the highest number of such events in the first six months of 2023, revealed a report released on Tuesday by Hindutva Watch (HW).
The HW, a research initiative that monitors attacks on religious minorities in India, released a report titled “2023 Half-Yearly Report: Anti-Muslim Hate Speech Events in India” written by researchers Raqib Hameed Nayak, Aarushi Srivastava and Abhyudaya Tyagi.
“Hindutva Watch’s extensive research spanning several months reveals that in the first six months of 2023 (181 days), there were 255 recorded instances of hate speech gatherings or rallies targeting Muslims across 17 states in India, which includes the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This alarming statistic highlights an average of over one anti-Muslim hate speech event occurring daily,” noted the report.
Since India lacks an official definition of hate speech, the report adopted the United Nations framework, which characterizes hate speech as “any form of communication, whether oral, written, or behavioural, that employs prejudiced or discriminatory language towards an individual or group based on attributes such as religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, colour, descent, gender, or other identity factors.”
According to the report, out of 255, 205 (80%) of these hate speech events occurred in BJP-ruled states and union territories. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat witnessed the highest number of hate speech gatherings, with Maharashtra alone accounting for 29% of such incidents.
The report also noted that around 52% of hate speech gatherings in BJP-ruled states and union territories were orchestrated by the entities affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Bajrang Dal, the Sakal Hindu Samaj, and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Overall, 42% of all hate speech gatherings in 17 states which includes two centrally controlled territories were organized by groups affiliated with the RSS.
Approximately 64% of the events in BJP-ruled states and union territories incorporated references to popular anti-Muslim conspiracy theories such as ‘Love Jihad’, ‘Land Jihad’, ‘Mazar Jihad’, ‘Population Jihad’ and other various kinds of ‘Jihad’. Overall, 51% of all the hate speech gatherings in 17 states which includes two centrally controlled territories featured anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, said the report.
A concerning 33% of all the gatherings explicitly called for violence against Muslims and about 11% of events included explicit calls for Hindus to boycott the minority community. Disturbingly, four per cent of all the events featured hate-filled and sexist speeches explicitly targeting Muslim women. Nearly 12% of events featured calls to arms, revealed the report.
Hate speeches also have connections with the elections as the report pointed out that 33% of such events took place in states that have already conducted or are set to conduct state legislative elections in 2023. Furthermore, over 36% of these events occurred in states slated to hold legislative elections in 2024.
“There has been an escalating trend of hate speech in India since 2014 when the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed power. Rather than combating hate speech, government officials have frequently engaged in it themselves. As this report documents, some of the purveyors of anti-Muslim hate speech include chief ministers, legislators, and senior leaders from the ruling BJP,” said the report.
