The Association for the Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) on Wednesday launched a new website to document and track hate crimes in India, amid growing concerns over rising incidents of communal violence and hate speech.
The platform, apcrhct.org, allows citizens to report incidents through a detailed online form. The organisation said it uses the UN-supported Rabat Plan of Action, which applies a six-point framework to distinguish unlawful hate speech from protected free expression.
During the launch event at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi, legal experts, activists and opposition leaders participated in discussions on rising hate speech in the country.
The APCR said the goal of the portal is to systematically document incidents that often go unreported or are scattered across different sources.
Opposition MPs Allege Normalisation of Hate Speech
Opposition leaders present at the event expressed concern that hate speech had become increasingly normalised in political discourse, particularly by senior leaders of the ruling party.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said hate crimes are being underreported or misrepresented.
“The data that we have in Parliament about hate crimes and riots is provided by the home minister. It is many times more than this,” Singh said.
“But they do it cleverly. They don’t show it…. They show it in the form of riots. They don’t show it in the form of violence,” he added.
Singh also alleged that hate speech from political leaders contributes directly to violence.
“How much do hate crimes increase from the speeches of the Prime Minister? How much hate crimes increase from the speeches of chief ministers?” he asked.
He further said, “Our Prime Minister says that we can identify by looking at the clothes. This means that he can identify who is a Hindu, who is a Muslim.”
Concerns Raised Over Electoral Integrity
RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha also raised concerns about the broader political climate, questioning whether elections in such an environment remain fair.
“I say, when you have a choice between whether to win elections or win the country, then winning the country will be the choice,” Jha said.
“What do people want? That elections should be conducted like this?” he asked, comparing India’s political competition to other democracies.
He also referred to structural and institutional concerns, saying, “Efforts are being made across the country… whether it is through delimitation, or proxy systems.”
Jha added sharply, “Otherwise, you may have to increase the capacity of your hate tracker website.”
APCR Reports Over 3,500 Hate Incidents Since 2014
According to data compiled by APCR, a total of 3,576 religion-based hate incidents have been recorded across India since 2014.
Preliminary analysis shows that physical assaults account for 747 incidents, while 376 cases involve attacks on property. Other commonly reported triggers include visible religious identity (908 incidents), disputes over food choices such as non-vegetarian consumption (547 incidents), and religious festivals (166 incidents).
The organisation also said its database currently includes detailed records from 2024 to 2026, documenting 1,153 hate crime cases and 761 incidents of hate speech.
APCR representative Fawaz Shaheen said the platform aims to bring more transparency and accountability in documenting such cases.
