AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chief Minister of India’s Uttarakhand state, has responded to a report naming him as the country’s “top instigator of hate speech” in 2025, saying he accepts the designation.
According to the annual report by India Hate Lab, an initiative of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), Dhami ranked first among political figures promoting hate in India, with 71 recorded speeches.
The report says hate speech in 2025 has been driven by a broad network of political, religious, and media actors, including chief ministers, cabinet members, lawmakers, and influential online figures.
Speaking on India’s Republic Day, Dhami referred to the report, saying, “An American non-governmental organization has ranked me first in hate speech. Should there not be laws in Uttarakhand against illegal infiltration, forced religious conversion, and violence?” He added that if raising such issues is considered hate speech, he accepts it.
The remarks came as days after the report’s publication, he again reiterated his state government’s hardline positions against what he called “religious conversion,” “riots,” and “land jihad.”
In response, India Hate Lab said it would continue monitoring the situation of religious minorities in Uttarakhand and hold political leaders and elected officials accountable for fueling hatred and inciting violence. The organization warned that the short-term immunity enjoyed by those in power cannot last indefinitely.
According to the report titled “Hate Speech in India 2025,” a total of 1,318 in-person hate incidents targeting religious minorities, mainly Muslims and Christians, were recorded across 21 states. The figure represents a 13 percent increase compared with 2024 and a 97 percent rise compared with 2023. The report added that 98 percent of the cases targeted Muslims and that about 88 percent of the incidents occurred in states and regions governed by India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
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