New Delhi: The Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) has released its “Hate Crime Tracker (June–August 2025),” documenting a sharp rise in violence and hate speech against India’s religious minorities. The report highlights 141 incidents of hate crimes and 102 cases of hate speech in three months, raising concerns about the safety and dignity of Muslims and Christians.
The findings reveal that 462 people were targeted. Among them were 370 Muslims and 86 Christians, along with five children and two senior citizens. Seven Muslims were lynched to death by mobs during the reporting period. Intimidation and harassment accounted for 49 incidents, followed by 41 cases of physical assault and 31 property attacks. Mosques, churches, and shrines faced repeated vandalism.
Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of hate crimes with 36 cases, followed by Chhattisgarh with 17 and Maharashtra with 14. Hate speech was reported most often in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Maharashtra. Political groups were directly linked to 82 hate crimes. Bajrang Dal was implicated in 26 cases, Vishwa Hindu Parishad in 16, and BJP members in 12. At least 20 incidents involved complicity of state actors, including police officials.
Despite Supreme Court orders requiring suo moto FIRs in hate speech cases, law enforcement registered only 22 FIRs out of 141 hate crimes and four out of 102 hate speech incidents. APCR warns that this climate of impunity has normalized hate speech and emboldened perpetrators.
The report calls the situation a direct threat to India’s pluralism and democratic values, urging urgent action to protect vulnerable communities.
