HA TE CR I ME S

WHAT IS HATE CRIME?

• CRIMINAL ACTS WHICH ARE MOTIVATED BY BIAS AGAINST AN INDIVIDUAL OR SOCIAL
GROUP 

• ENCOMPASSES SPEECH THAT IS INSULTING, DEROGATORY OR INCITES AND VIOLENCE.

•  DEFINED AS AN ATTACK ON A PERSON’S RIGHTS ENTRUSTED TO HIM THEREBY
AFFECTING NOT ONLY HIM BUT THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE AS A WHOLE 

• MOST COMMON GROUNDS OF HATE SPEECH ARE RACE, ETHNICITY, RELIGION OR CLASS.

HATE CRIMES IN INDIA

•  DEFINED IN TERMS OF THE HARM DONE TO A COMMUNITY AT LARGE

• N INDIA, HATE SPEECH IS PROHIBITED WHICH IS BASED UPON RELIGION, ETHNICITY,
CULTURE OR RACE.
FACTS……….
• IN 2018/19, THERE WERE 103,379 HATE CRIMES RECORDED BY THE POLICE IN ENGLAND
AND WALES, AN INCREASE OF 10% COMPARED WITH 2017/18 (94,121 OFFENCES).

• THE MAJORITY OF HATE CRIMES WERE RACE HATE CRIMES, ACCOUNTING FOR AROUND
THREE-QUARTERS OF OFFENCES (76%; 78,991 OFFENCES). THESE INCREASED BY 11%

• BETWEEN 2017/18 AND 2018/19.

• SEXUAL ORIENTATION HATE CRIMES INCREASED BY 25 % (TO 14,491 OFFENCES).
• RELIGIOUS HATE CRIMES INCREASED BY 3% (TO 8,566 OFFENCES).
• DISABILITY HATE CRIMES INCREASED BY 14 % (TO 8,256 OFFENCES).
• FINALLY, TRANSGENDER IDENTITY HATE CRIMES INCREASED BY 37% (TO 2,333
OFFENCES).
CAUSES
• A BIAS AGAINST THE ANY GROUP DUE TO HISTORICAL OR SOCIAL REASONS
• HATE CRIMES MAY BE THE PRODUCT OF OUR SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTS.
• MISGUIDANCE OF YOUTH
• HATE CRIME AGAINST A NATION’S CITIZENS.
• ACT OF REVENGE.
• INFLUENCED BY PERCEPTION THAT CERTAIN GROUPS POSE A THREAT TO THEM.
TYPES OF HATE CRIMES…..
INDIAN LAWS AGAINST HATE CRIMES
• THOUGH THE TERM IS NOWHERE MENTIONED IN ANY STATUTE, ITS DIFFERENT FORMS ARE
IDENTIFIED ACROSS THE LAWS.

• THE IPC UNDER SECTIONS 153A, 153B, 295A, 298, 505(1) AND 505(2)25 DECLARES THAT

WORD, SPOKEN OR WRITTEN, THAT PROMOTES DISHARMONY, HATRED, OR INSULTS ON BASIS
OF RELIGION, ETHNICITY, CULTURE, LANGUAGE, REGION, CASTE, COMMUNITY, RACE ETC., IS
PUNISHABLE UNDER LAW.

• SOME OTHER LAWS WHICH CONTAIN PROVISIONS CONCERNING HATE SPEECH AND ITS
PREVENTION ARE:

• THE REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE ACT, 1951.

• INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACT 2000.

• UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES (PREVENTION) ACT, 1967.

LYNCHING AND MOB VIOLENCE

•TEHSEEN S.POONAWALA V. UNION OF INDIA

PROVISIONS RELATED TO MOB LYNCHING
• AS OF NOW, THERE ARE NO LAWS AGAINST LYNCHING IN INDIA, HOWEVER, PROVISIONS IN
VARIOUS STATUTES HANDLE MATTERS RELATED TO LYNCHING AND MOB VIOLENCE, LIKE
UNDER SECTION 223(A) OF THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE, 1973 A PERSON CAN BE
CHARGED FOR AN ACT OF GROUP ATTACK ON SOME OTHER PERSON. SIMILARLY,
PROVISIONS UNDER IPC SUCH AS SECTION 302, SECTION 304, SECTION 307, SECTION 323,
SECTION 325 AND THE LIKE DEALS WITH THE CASES OF HATE CRIMES INDIRECTLY.
LYNCHING MOSTLY INCLUDE ATTACKS WHICH RESULT IN MURDER OR ATTEMPT TO
MURDER, HARASSMENT, ASSAULT, GANG-RAPE ETC, THIS IS WHY THE AFOREMENTIONED
PROVISIONS OF IPC COULD BE USED IN CASES OF LYNCHING AND MOB VIOLENCE.
HOW TO REPORT A HATE CRIME?
• A TOLL-FREE NUMBER 1800-3133-600-00, NAMED HELPLINE AGAINST HATE, WAS LAUNCHED BY UNITED
AGAINST HATE, A COLLECTIVE OF EMINENT CITIZENS CAMPAIGNING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND PEACE

• IF YOU’VE EXPERIENCED A HATE INCIDENT OR CRIME YOU CAN REPORT IT TO THE POLICE. YOU CAN
ALSO REPORT A HATE INCIDENT OR CRIME EVEN IF IT WASN’T DIRECTED AT YOU. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU
COULD BE A FRIEND, NEIGHBOUR, FAMILY MEMBER, SUPPORT WORKER OR SIMPLY A PASSER-BY.

• WHEN REPORTING THE INCIDENT OR CRIME YOU SHOULD SAY WHETHER YOU THINK IT WAS BECAUSE
OF DISABILITY, RACE, RELIGION, TRANSGENDER IDENTITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR A COMBINATION
OF THESE THINGS. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT MAKES SURE THE POLICE RECORD IT AS A HATE
INCIDENT OR CRIME.
WAY FORWARD…..

• AWARENESS OF THE PROBLEM

• YOUTH ENVOLVEMENT AND COUNSELLING
• LAW ENFORCEMET AND PRIROTIZING HATE CRIMES
• TRAINING FOR OFFICERS AND DEPUTIES
• CREAT A SPECIAL TASK FORCE ON HATE CRIMES
“ “DON’T HATE WHAT YOU DON’T
UNDERSTAND.”
– JOHN LENNON
”
THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION…..