Music platforms profiting from ‘Hindutva pop’ hate music: US report

3 min readPuneJun 25, 2026 12:03 PM IST

Of the 523 songs identified, more than 50 per cent explicitly called for violence, the report said. (Image generated using AI)

A song with almost 6 lakh views on YouTube says: “Jo bhi aaya samne usko cheerenge aur phaadenge (whoever comes in front of us, we will tear and rip them apart)”. Another track declares: “Bharat ka bacha bacha Jai Jai Sri Ram bolega (Every child in India will say ‘glory to Lord Ram’)”.

These songs belong to a music genre now identified as ‘Hindutva Pop’. In cities across the country, people can be heard singing such lines, reflecting the growth of independent artists producing music with hateful rhetoric against minority communities. Now, a study by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, a Washington D.C-based non-profit, has analysed how major music platforms—YouTube, Meta, Spotify, and Apple Music—have allegedly hosted and monetised the ‘hate music’ industry in India.

Released this month, the report identifies 523 “Hindutva pop hate songs” across these music platforms that violate their own content policies. It also flagged these songs for “promoting hatred, dehumanization, and incitement to violence against religious minorities, primarily Muslims and Christians”.

In response to the report, a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement, “We are reviewing the examples raised in the study and will remove any content that violates our policies.”

The Indian Express also reached out to the other three platforms for a response. No response was received from Spotify, Apple or Meta .

‘50% songs explicitly call for violence’

Of the 523 songs identified in the report, 210 were hosted on YouTube, 109 on Spotify, 103 on Meta’s Music Library, and 101 on Apple Music. The songs on YouTube have been viewed over 198 million times, and the songs on Meta Music Library were used in over 5.9 million Instagram Reels, the report said.

More than 50 per cent of the songs explicitly called for violence, while the rest promoted or incited hatred through slurs and dehumanisation, according to the report.

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The report alleged these songs were also monetised. Ads for 103 brands appeared on hate music videos on YouTube, and the “Super Thanks” feature, which allows viewers to fund money to the channel, was enabled on 55 per cent of violative videos, according to the report. On Meta, 20 of 30 prominent Hindutva pop singers studied by the report had monetised Facebook accounts.

The report said that a sample of 225 songs was flagged on the four platforms through their respective reporting mechanisms for violation of content policies in October 2025. The report claims that these songs violated the platform’s own policies on hate. Of these, 207 or 92 per cent are still online as of May 2026, and only 18 have been removed, the report pointed out.

One of the songs cited in the study is titled ‘Cheer Ke Rakh Denge’ by Sangam Dhun on YouTube. The song has over 9 lakh views. The lyrics go, “Whoever puts the evil eye on us, we will cut them. We are the saffron-clad, who will save you from us?”

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Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting.

Professional Background

Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune.

Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics.

Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure.

Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)

His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories:

1. Investigations & Governance

"Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents.

"44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families.

2. Education & Campus Life

Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University.

"Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial.

"Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers.

3. Human Rights & Social Issues

"Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India.

"'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying.

Signature Style

Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty.

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