NEW DELHI The Indian government on Tuesday presented to parliament the findings of a long-delayed inquiry into the 1992 demolition of a mosque that triggered deadly religious riots.

The Liberhan commission report was tabled after details of its conclusions - apparently implicating top leaders of the Hindu nationalist opposition in the destruction - were leaked on Monday, triggering uproar in the lower house.

Bharatiya Janata Party MPs said the leak had been politically orchestrated to embarrass their leadership, including Atal Behari Vajpayee - a former prime minister - and L.K. Advani, the party's current hardline leader.

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 in the end it took 17 years with nearly 50 extensions to its mandate.

As well as being one of India's longest-serving inquiries, it was also among the most expensive, consuming a reported 80 million. —AFP