Report Card – Violence against Muslims in 2025

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By Syed Ali Mujtaba, Edited by Adam Rizvi, The India Observer, TIO: A joint study released by the Mumbai-based civil society organisation Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) and India Hate Lab has documented multiple forms of violence against Muslims across India in 2025, revealing a troubling pattern of communal unrest, and unchecked hate speech.

28 Communal Riots Recorded

According to the CSSS study, 28 communal riots were reported across the country in 2025, resulting in four deaths and over 360 injuries.

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• Maharashtra recorded the highest number with seven riots

• West Bengal and Gujarat followed with four each

• Madhya Pradesh reported three

• Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, and Uttarakhand reported two each

• Bihar and Odisha reported one incident each

• Notably, no communal riots were reported from southern India

Maharashtra and Gujarat together accounted for nearly 40 per cent of all riots, while eastern states accounted for 37 per cent and northern states for 25 per cent.

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Nine of the 28 riots were triggered by religious processions or festivals, including:

• Ram Navami processions in West Bengal and Jharkhand

• Hanuman Jayanti in Madhya Pradesh

• Eid celebrations in Assam

• Garba events in Gujarat

Other incidents were linked to protests against the Waqf Amendment Act, including a deadly episode in Murshidabad, West Bengal, where a Hindu father-son duo was killed.

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14 Muslims Lynched in Mob Violence

The report documents a sharp rise in mob violence targeting Muslims in 2025. Fourteen lynching incidents were recorded, resulting in eight deaths. These attacks were often linked to:

• Cow vigilantism

• Allegations of being “illegal immigrants”

• Claims of “love jihad”

• Forced chanting of religious slogans

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State-wise incidents include:

• Odisha: Bengali-speaking migrant worker Juel Sheikh was lynched in Sambalpur in December 2025. Another attack occurred at Balasore railway station.

• Bihar: Three lynching incidents in Nawada district, including the killing of Mohammad Athar Hussain (50) on December 5.

• Jharkhand: Pappu Ansari (45) was beaten to death in Godda over cattle theft allegations.

• Uttar Pradesh: Multiple cases of vigilante violence, including a fatal mob attack.

• Maharashtra: A student was lynched in August 2025; another killing occurred in Nagpur.

• Haryana: A Muslim man was killed following a dispute involving a skullcap.

• Madhya Pradesh: A Muslim businessman was lynched amid allegations of police shielding the attackers.

• Kerala: A migrant worker was beaten to death in Palakkad after being accused of being “Bangladeshi.”

• Tripura: Anjel Chakma (22) was stabbed to death in Dehradun after racial abuse.

• Jammu and Kashmir: Several killings involving security forces were reported following the Pahalgam attack.

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Rising Hate Speech Against Muslims

The India Hate Lab reported 1,318 hate speech incidents targeting Muslims in 2025. The findings, released in January 2026, revealed that 98 per cent of recorded hate speech incidents were directed at Muslims.

Hate speech was delivered at:

• Public rallies

• Religious gatherings

• Street meetings

• Online and social media platforms

The report notes that hate speech is no longer limited to election campaigns but has become routine at religious events and local protests, transforming public spaces into arenas of open hostility.

A human rights activist observed:

“This scale of targeting Muslims reflects a sustained campaign that has become part of India’s everyday noise — and it is extremely dangerous.”

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BJP-Ruled States Under Scrutiny

The CSSS study raises serious concerns about the role of BJP-ruled states, accusing them of institutional indifference and bias.

While state governments often ensured swift justice in cases where Hindus were victims, the report notes a lack of comparable judicial outcomes when Muslims were targeted.

The study alleges:

• Disproportionate arrests of Muslims

• State intervention on behalf of Hindu rioters

• Narratives blaming Muslims as “masterminds” or “kingpins”

• Coercive police action against Muslim communities

“These patterns highlight systemic failures in state responses to mob violence and underscore the urgent need for impartial law enforcement and institutional reform,” the report states.

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Shifting Nature of Violence

The study observes a shift from sporadic communal clashes to identity-based conflict, marked by:

• Intensified hate speech

• Vigilante impunity

• Hyper-visibility of Hindu symbols and festivals in public spaces

• Forced marginalisation and invisibilisation of Muslim cultural presence

According to the report, impunity for Hindutva extremist groups has become the norm, reinforcing fear and insecurity among Muslim communities.

Sources

The CSSS study is based on reports from:

• The Indian Express

• The Hindu

• The Times of India

• Sahafat

• Inquilab (Mumbai editions)

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Curated by Humra Kidwai

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