India
The Republic of India, commonly known as India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second most populous country, and the most populous, secular liberal democracy in the world. India... [more]
The Republic of India, commonly known as India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second most populous country, and the most populous, secular liberal democracy in the world. India has a coastline of over seven thousand kilometres, bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east. India borders Pakistan to the west; the People's Republic of China, Nepal and Bhutan to the north-east; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia.
The name India is derived from Indus, which is derived from the Old Persian word Hindu, from Sanskrit Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the ancient Indians as Indoi, the people of the Indus. The Constitution of India and common usage in Hindi also recognise Bharat as an official name of equal status. A third name, Hindustan (Persian: Land of the Hindus), has been in use since the 12th century, though its contemporary use is unevenly applied.
Ayodhya attack report submitted after 17 years
Seventeen years after the destruction of the Babri Masjid mosque which triggered massive Hindu-Muslim riots in India, the commission set up to probe the event has finally submitted its report.
The inquiry cost a reported 80 million rupees (1.6 million dollars) and the delay in delivering the findings -- which have yet to be made public -- was slammed by the Indian media on Wednesday.
"Babri report 17 years too late" ran the front-page headline of the Mail Today paper.
The destruction of the 16th century mosque by Hindu fanatics in the northern town of Ayodhya triggered some of the worst Hindu-Muslim violence since the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947.
Around 2,000 people were killed in the communal riots which left an enormous tear in India's secular fabric.
Devout Hindus believe the mosque was built on the ruins of a temple marking the birthplace of the Hindu warrior god Ram.
The inquiry commission was headed by Manmohan Singh Liberhan, who was a sitting High Court judge when he was appointed in 1992 but has since retired.
It was originally expected to submit its report within three months, but requested nearly 50 extensions to become one of India's longest-serving inquiries.
"Can there be any excuse for Justice Liberhan to have taken so long to submit the Babri report?" the Indian Express asked in an editorial.
"Regardless of the report, the Liberhan Commission has already failed at its job and failed miserably," the Express said.
The report, handed over to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday, is expected to be tabled in parliament soon.
Media reports say the probe has indicted senior leaders of India's main opposition group, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
It is also believed to find fault with the then Congress party prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, for failing to prevent the demolition.
The Hindu newspaper noted that the report was likely to provide more "bad news" for the BJP, which has been in disarray since its crushing election defeat to the Congress in April-May national polls.
"At a time when the BJP is looking for ways to repackage itself as an inclusive party, its role in the destruction of the 16th century monument is a reminder of its intolerant agenda," wrote Hindu columnist Siddarth Varadajan.
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