E/CN.4/1992/52 page 32 of India. This includes the freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion and freedom to manage religious affairs. In India every religious denomination has the right to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes, to manage its own affairs in matters of religion, to own and acquire movable and immovable property and to administer such property in accordance with the law. The Government of India, has, moreover, repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to secularism, the rule of law and the protection of the rights of religious freedom for all. Furthermore, the Indian Constitution enjoins that it is the fundamental duty of every citizen to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood among all the peoples of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities. Thus, India attempts to ensure that its citizens remain committed to tolerance and allow others of different faiths and persuasions to fully enjoy their rights and freedoms. The Government of India has also repeatedly enjoined upon civil servants and other public officials, including those entrusted with the maintenance of law and order to ensure that in the course of their official duty they fully respect different religions and beliefs and do not discriminate against persons professing other religions or beliefs. Despite the sincerity of the Government of India to preserve religious harmony, instances of communal violence have occasionally occurred. Sometimes these have been the result of the activities of misguided persons or anti-social elements; at other times they have resulted from misunderstandings and prejudices among members of different communities. However, even violent incidents involving adherents of two different religions do not stem from attempts to forcibly stop the practice of one religion by followers of another religion, but due to a multiplicity of other reasons, many of which are often local in nature. There are even instances when law and order situations have been deliberately given a communal flavour by local vested interests. Nonetheless, it is totally incorrect to think that the Government of India is in any way responsible for or even encouraged such communal incidents or that it brings them about because of any form of religious intolerance. As outlined earlier, the Government of India has a completely secular approach. Whenever incidents involving communal violence have regrettably taken place, it has acted swiftly to bring the situation under control and punish those found guilty. When governmental agencies anticipate such incidents, pre-emptive action is taken to ensure that communal and religious peace is not disturbed. In a country of over 800 million people belonging to a multitude of religious faiths - Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, etc. - the maintenance of religious harmony is a daunting challenge; nonetheless, the challenge has been always met and tackled headlong. As regards the allegations conveyed vide paragraph 1 of the annex to your letter, it may be pointed out that the occurrence of incidents involving communal clashes cannot in any way justify that the Government be blamed for religious intolerance. Rather such incidents have taken place on account of factors outlined above. As regards the incidents at Ayodhya referred to, the police and paramilitary forces both acted to prevent any damage to the disputed structure there. In the action taken by the police and paramilitary forces on 30 October 1990 and 2 November 1990 in this regard, 16 persons including a member of the security forces lost their lives. The Permanent Mission wishes