A new wave of controversy dominated the Indian media's attention after Podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia made a distasteful comment on comedian Samay Raina's YouTube show India's Got Latent. The now-deleted episode, sent shockwaves across the internet, resulting in multiple legal notices and FIRs lodged against Allahbadia, Raina and 30-40 other individuals associated with the show.

Amid all the noise, US-based think tank India Hate Lab (IHL) on Monday, February 10, released a pressing report on the surge in hate speeches targeting religious minorities in India, specifically Muslims. The report named several key political and far-right figures ranked by the highest number of in-person hate speeches they delivered in 2024.

Key political & far-right figures ranked by highest number of hate speeches delivered in 2024 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/fL5y2sX6az

The IHL report linked the sharp rise in hate speech to the Bhartiya Jananta Party's (BJP) ideological goals and the broader Hindu nationalist movement, suggesting they increased by 74.4%, from 668 in 2023 to 1,165 in 2024.

"On average, three hate speech events were held per day. This marks a 74.4% increase from 2023, when 668 such incidents were recorded. 1,147 (98.5%) speeches targeted Muslims—either explicitly (1,050) or alongside Christians (97)—while 115 (9.9%) targeted Christians, either explicitly (18) or alongside Muslims (97)," it stated.

However, despite its alarming findings, the report barely made a ripple in the mainstream media—no outrage, no headlines, and no national debate. This stark silence raises serious questions about the priorities of both the press and the legal system.

A Comedy Show Becomes a Scandal

The controversy erupted when Allahbadia asked a contestant, "Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once to stop it forever?" The crude remark, seemingly a centuries-old Reddit 'joke', was considered so outrageous that a Parliamentary panel on Information and Technology (IT) is set to issue a formal notice to the YouTuber, as per reports.

I met Ranveer at a cafe in Dharamshala on August 13th, he was with his girlfriend.
A few people came to the cafe to felicitate him.
So much fame at such a young age, has got the better of him.
Hope no one goes to his podcast show ever again.
Bad example.#RanveerAllahbadia

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