Study Documents Surge in Violence and Hate Speech Against Muslims in India in 2025

Study Documents Surge in Violence and Hate Speech Against Muslims in India in 2025
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A new study released by the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) and India Hate Lab has documented a significant rise in violence and hate speech directed at Muslims in India during 2025.

According to the CSSS report, 28 communal riots were recorded nationwide last year, leaving four people dead and at least 360 injured. Maharashtra accounted for the highest number of incidents with seven riots, followed by West Bengal and Gujarat with four each. Madhya Pradesh reported three incidents, while Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, and Uttarakhand saw two each. Bihar and Odisha recorded one riot each, and no communal riots were reported from southern states.

The study found that nine of the riots were triggered by religious processions or festivals, including Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti, Eid celebrations, and Garba events. Other clashes were linked to protests over the Waqf Amendment Act. Maharashtra and Gujarat together accounted for nearly 40 percent of all riots documented.

The report also recorded 14 incidents of mob violence against Muslims in 2025, resulting in eight deaths. These cases were often linked to allegations such as cow slaughter, “illegal immigration,” or interfaith relationships, and were reported across several states including Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, and Jammu and Kashmir.

Separately, India Hate Lab documented 1,318 hate speech incidents targeting Muslims in 2025, representing 98 percent of all hate speech cases recorded that year. The group noted that such speech increasingly appeared at religious events, public gatherings, and on social media platforms.

The CSSS study raised concerns over what it described as inconsistent state responses, particularly in BJP-ruled states, alleging selective enforcement of the law, disproportionate action against Muslim communities, and official narratives that placed primary blame on Muslims for communal violence.