A new report, jointly compiled by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) and the Quill Foundation, said Muslims and Christians bore the brunt of the violence and hate speeches
NEW DELHI — The first year of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term has seen a significant rise in hate crimes, with approximately 950 cases targeting Muslims and Christians.
On June 9, the Modi-led NDA government marked its first anniversary in its third term. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government also completed 11 years earlier this month since it came to power at the Centre in 2014.
A new report, jointly compiled by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) and the Quill Foundation, said religious minorities — especially Muslims and Christians — bore the brunt of the violence and hate speeches.
According to the report unveiled on 20 June, 947 hate-related incidents were documented between June 7, 2024, and June 7, 2025. These include 602 hate crimes and 345 instances of hate speech, many of them linked to members or affiliates of the BJP.
“Despite the increasing intensity and occurrences, there is no institutional effort to record or document hate crimes,” the report said. It noted that while atrocities against Dalits are tracked under Indian law, no similar mechanism exists for religious minorities.
A total of 1,460 Muslims, primary victims, were affected in 419 recorded incidents. Christians, while fewer in incident count, accounted for 1,504 victims in 85 attacks. At least 25 Muslims were killed, and 173 incidents involved physical violence.
As has been the case since 2014, when Modi took over as prime minister for the first time, hate speeches have intensified, often with impunity from law enforcement, with 178 of the 345 incidents attributed to BJP-linked individuals, including Prime Minister Modi and several chief ministers. Two judges and a governor were also reported to have made inflammatory remarks, sparking concern about the institutional normalisation of hate.
Hate crimes and speeches were galore in the states ruled by the BJP, with Uttar Pradesh topping the list, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand. The report suggests a correlation between election activity and spikes in hate incidents, with inflammatory speeches and violence increasing during campaign periods.
Incidents ranged from mob attacks over cow slaughter allegations to assaults during religious festivals and campaigns targeting interfaith couples and businesses owned by Muslims.
In March 2025, 267 Christians were affected during a wave of attacks on churches and prayer meetings.
Children and the elderly were not spared. The report documented 32 hate crimes targeting minors and 10 incidents involving senior citizens, most of them Muslims.
Only 13% of hate crimes resulted in formal police complaints (FIRs), highlighting gaps in accountability and justice. “This figure is indicative of the worsening atmosphere Indian Muslims are undergoing and a lag in the criminal justice system,” the report pointed out.
The study warns of the lasting social consequences of unchecked hate and calls for institutional mechanisms to track and combat targeted violence. “Hate crimes and hate speech never occur in isolation,” the report states. “They impact families, communities, and the nation.”
