Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party and affiliated groups were behind most hate speech events against Muslims during the first half of the year, according to a report released on Monday.
Some 80% of the 255 documented incidents of "hate speech gatherings targeting Muslims” occurred in union territories and states run by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), according to a report from Hindutva Watch. The Washington-based research group tracks hate crimes and inflammatory speech against Muslims and other minorities in India.
Researchers wrote that India has seen an "escalating trend” of anti-Muslim speech since Modi rose to power in 2014. The report found that more than half of the documented incidents this year were orchestrated by the ruling BJP and affiliates including the Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Sakal Hindu Samaj. Those groups have ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the BJP.