Meta has removed multiple accounts and pages linked to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator T Raja Singh. The action comes a week after a report by India Hate Lab (IHL) exposed how Singh and his supporters continued to amplify hate speech against Muslims on social media platforms despite an official ban.
In a statement, Facebook spokesperson confirmed the removal, stating, “We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for violating our policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform. The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to our decision to remove his account.”
Raja Singh was banned under Meta’s “dangerous individuals and organizations” policy due to his history of inflammatory and anti-Muslim rhetoric. The ban meant that Singh was prohibited from having any official presence on the platforms, and any new pages, groups, or accounts representing him would also be removed.
Despite the ban, Singh and his supporters found ways to circumvent restrictions, creating a vast network of proxy groups and pages that continued to circulate his hate-filled speeches. During the 2024 Indian general elections, these platforms actively shared details about Singh’s events and amplified his hate speeches against Muslims.
On February 20, Meta took decisive action, removing two Facebook pages and three Instagram accounts linked to Singh. According to IHL, the deleted pages had over one million followers, while the Instagram accounts had a combined following of over 155,000 users.
The IHL report also revealed how Singh’s supporters used alternative methods to evade Meta’s bans. Some of the largest Facebook groups promoting his content included: Raja Singh (Bhagyanagar) MLA, Raja Singh (Dhoolpet) MLA, RAJA SINGH YUVA SENA (RSYS) and Tiger Raja Singh Official Group
Collectively, these groups amassed over 100,000 followers. Similarly, on Instagram, Singh’s content was amplified through four key accounts: @rajasinghmla, @t.usharajasinghofficial, @t.rajabhaimla1, and @t.rajabhaimla3, which together had nearly 198,900 followers.
Findings from the Hate Speech Report
The report by the India Hate Lab (IHL) has revealed that more than 450 hate speeches were made by BJP leaders, with Prime Minister Modi personally responsible for 63. Other prominent leaders mentioned include Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, all of whom were recorded making inflammatory remarks during the election period.
The report found a huge surge in hate speech targeting religious minorities in India, particularly Muslims, in 2024. The US-based think tank described the increase as “staggering” and linked it to the ideological ambitions of the ruling BJP and the broader Hindu nationalist movement.
According to the IHL report, hate speech incidents rose by 74.4 percent, jumping from 668 cases 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),” read the report.
It attributed this escalation to the General Election held last year, stating that “the fact that 2024 was a general election year… played a crucial role in shaping the patterns of hate speech incidents.” During India’s highly contested national elections, critics and rights groups accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of ramping up rhetoric against Muslims to unprecedented levels in an attempt to mobilize the Hindu majority.
“A second peak in hate speech events occurred in August 2024 with the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government and the ensuing political crisis in Bangladesh. The specter of the Hindu minority community being under attack in Bangladesh provided rich fodder for anti-Muslim rhetoric and hate in India. Though the Hindu minority in Bangladesh did face violence, the BJP, Hindu nationalist groups, supporters, and Indian news outlets engaged in a disinformation campaign over the scale and scope of attacks on the community,” read the report.
