A/55/280 Unfortunately, a few incidents of sati have taken place even in the recent past and the practice of dowry is also prevalent in some sections of society in India. The process of social change, which is being actively pursued by the Government of India through various laws and their enforcement, takes time. The spread of education and increasing awareness about the dignity and status of women will lead to the eradication of such practices in the course of time. 69. With regard to allegations concerning the situation of Christians in India (ibid., paras. 45-48), the Government replied as follows: A large number of violations have been committed against Christians and this is continuing (allegation) Given the size and population of India, the number of incidents of violence against members of the Christian community were negligible up to 1996. There was some increase in the number of such incidents between 1997 and 1999. This may be attributed to the resentment in some organizations due to their perception that the conversion activities of the Christian missions in remote tribal areas and among less affluent sections of society were being carried out through allurements, coercion, etc. No matter what the cause was of these violent incidents, government authorities invariably took appropriate measures as required by the law. In many cases, such incidents of violence were normal law and order matters and it was purely a coincidence that the two parties involved happened to be from different communities. Unfortunately, this was given a communal colour by some sections of the media. The team from the Union Home Ministry, which visited Gujarat, did not meet the Christian delegation in the State nor did it receive their representatives (allegation) The objective of the high-level team from the Ministry of Home Affairs which visited Gandhinagar (Gujarat) on 30 December 1998 was to have consultations with the State government officials regarding measures taken for the safety and security of members of the Christian communities and to suggest remedial measures to maintain peace and communal harmony. The Christian community continues to suffer from a climate of insecurity (allegation) Following the incidents in Gujarat and Orissa, immediate steps were taken by the Government of India to restore confidence and to provide security. The Prime Minister himself visited Gujarat on 9 and 10 January 1999. A team of the National Commission for Minorities, which is a statutory body, also visited the state on three occasions and submitted reports. Action on the relevant points in its final report has been taken by the state as well as the central Government. In respect of Orissa, the Justice Wadhwa Commission of Inquiry, under a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, was set up to look into the incident of the killing of Graham Staines, an Australian national, and his two sons. Concurrently, an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was also ordered. The Government of India has issued comprehensive guidelines for the maintenance of communal harmony and advisory statements are being issued to the state government from time to time. Further, central paramilitary forces are being provided to the states on specific request and a special force called the “Rapid Action Force” has been raised primarily to deal with communal riots. Intelligence inputs which have a bearing on communal harmony are being shared with concerned state governments to enable them to take timely preventive measures and financial assistance is also being provided to them for the upgrading and modernization of their police forces. Militant Hindu groups are organizing hate campaigns against the Christians through the media, pamphlets and posters (allegation) It is not correct to say that there is a hate campaign against the Christian community. Stray incidents of this kind cannot be construed as a general hatred directed against the Christian communities as a whole. Wherever such incidents come to light, action under relevant provisions of the law is being taken by the law enforcement agencies. Such incidents are also being 17