Reference Text
Time Left10:00
Freedom
of
religion
in
India
is
a
fundamental
right
guaranteed
by
Article
25-28
of
the
Constitution
of
India.
Modern
India
came
into
existence
in
1947
and
the
Indian
constitution's
preamble
was
amended
in
1976
to
state
that
India
is
a
secular
state.
Every
citizen
of
India
has
a
right
to
practice
and
promote
their
religion
peacefully.
However,
there
have
been
numerous
incidents
of
religious
intolerance
that
resulted
in
riots
and
violence,
notably,
the
1984
Anti-Sikh
riots
in
Delhi,1990
Anti-Hindu
riots
in
Kashmir,
2002
Gujarat
riots
and
the
2008
Anti
Christian
riots.
Some
perpetrators
of
the
1984
Anti-Sikh
riots
in
Delhi
have
not
been
brought
to
justice
despite
widespread
condemnation.
India
is
one
of
the
most
diverse
nations
in
terms
of
religion,
it
being
the
birthplace
of
four
major
world
religions:
Jainism,
Hinduism,
Buddhism
and
Sikhism.
Even
though
Hindus
form
close
to
80
percent
of
the
population,
India
also
has
region-specific
religious
practices:
for
instance,
Jammu
and
Kashmir
has
a
Muslim
majority,
Punjab
has
a
Sikh
majority,
Nagaland,
Meghalaya
and
Mizoram
have
Christian
majorities
and
the
Indian
Himalayan
States
such
as
Sikkim
and
Ladakh,
Arunachal
Pradesh
and
the
state
of
Maharashtra
and
the
Darjeeling
District
of
West
Bengal
have
large
concentrations
of
Buddhist
population.
The
country
has
significant
Muslim,
Sikh,
Christian,
Buddhist,
Jain
and
Zoroastrian
populations.
Islam
is
the
largest
minority
religion
in
India,
and
the
Indian
Muslims
form
the
third
largest
Muslim
population
in
the
world,
accounting
for
over
14
percent
of
the
nation's
population.
Rajni
Kothari,
founder
of
the
Centre
for
the
Study
of
Developing
Societies
has
written,
'India
is
a
country
built
on
the
foundations
of
a
civilisation
that
is
fundamentally
tolerant.'
The
Sikh
Gurus
built
freedom
of
religion
in
their
faith
to
such
an
extent
that
while
being
a
persecuted
minority
themselves
under
many
Mughal
rulers
like
Aurangzeb,
Sikhs
felt
obliged
to
fight
for
the
religious
freedom
of
others.
The
sixth
Guru
of
Sikhs,
Guru
Hargobind,
even
had
a
mosque
built
for
his
Muslim
disciples,
instead
of
putting
them
under
any
pressure
to
adopt
the
Sikh
faith.
The
tradition
of
religious
freedom
continued
under
Sikh
Empire,
and
other
Sikh
Principalities
where
Sikh
rulers
commissioned
several
Gurdwaras,
Temples
and
Mosques
for
their
subjects
of
various
faiths.
Freedom
of
religion
in
India
is
a
fundamental
right
guaranteed
by
Article
25-28
of
the
Constitution
of
India.
Modern
India
came
into
existence
in
1947
and
the
Indian
constitution's
preamble
was
amended
in
1976
to
state
that
India
is
a
secular
state.
Every
citizen
of
India
has
a
right
to
practice
and
promote
their
religion
peacefully.
However,
there
have
been
numerous
incidents
of
religious
intolerance
that
resulted
in
riots
and
violence,
notably,
the
1984
Anti-Sikh
riots
in
Delhi,1990
Anti-Hindu
riots
in
Kashmir,