Freedom of religion in India is a fundamental right guaranteed by Article 15 and Article 25 of

the Constitution of India.[1]Modern India came into existence in 1947 and the Indian constitution's
preamble was amended in 1976 to state that India is asecular state.[2] Every citizen of India has a
right to practice and promote their religion peacefully. However, there have been a number of
incidents of religious intolerance that resulted in riots and violence, notably, the 1984 Anti-Sikh
riots in Delhi, 2002 Anti-Muslim riots and the 2008 Anti-Christian riots. The perpetrators of the
violence are rarely 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: Hinduism,Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Even though Hindus form close to 80 percent of
the population, India also enjoys multiple regions with majority populations of other religions:
notably, Jammu and Kashmir with Muslim majority, Punjab with Sikh majority, and Nagaland with
Christian majority.

Refuge from religious persecution[edit]

India, with its traditional tolerance, has served as a refuge for groups that have encountered
persecution elsewhere.

Jews: Jews in India were granted lands and trading rights. The oldest of the three longestestablished Jewish communities in India, traders from Judea andIsrael arrived in the city
of Cochin, in what is now Kerala, 2,500 years ago and are now known as Cochin Jews.
Christians: Christianity is believed to have come to India in the 1st century through Saint
Thomas who formed the Saint Thomas Christians in Kerala. Later in the 15th and 16th centuries
European Missionaries brought in Christianity in places such as Goa and Mangalore.

Parsi: The Zoroastrians from Greater Persia arrived in India fleeing from religious
persecution in their native land in the 9th century..

Tibetan Buddhists: India is now home to the Dalai Lama, a high lama of the Gelug school
of Tibetan Buddhism.

Baha'i: India now has world's largest Baha'i population who took refuge to India from
religious persecution in Iran.

Religious disturbances and conflicts before 1947[edit]

Notable incidents of religious intolerance, conflicts and riots have occurred at several points in time.

There was persecution of Buddhists and Jains by Brahmanical Hindu monarchs under the
influence of religious fundamentalists. Examples include the violent persecution of Buddhists
by Pushyamitra Shunga in the 2nd century BC

Some Islamic travellers such as Mahmud of Ghazni committed iconoclasm and genocide of
Hindus.

Various rulers of the Mughal era (such as Aurangzeb) are regarded as perpetrators of
religious intolerance towards Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs through violent acts,
oppression, iconoclasm and imposition of jizya.

The Goa Inquisition was carried out against the Hindu, Muslim and Jewish populations
of Goa by Portuguese Rule.

Communal violence during the Partition in 1947[edit]

There were widespread riots during the Partition of India in 1947 - There was communal violence
directed against Hindu & Sikh minorities in areas that became Pakistan while violence was directed
against Muslim minorities in Hindu/Sikh majority areas.