GANDHINAGAR, India — In India, the Gujarat state Assembly House, led by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party, passed a bill Sept. 19 to modify the state anti-conversion law of 2003, with intent to clear various legal hurdles that have prevented the implementation of the law. The Gujarat Freedom of Religion Bill was passed March 26, 2003, but objections by the state legal department over some of its provisions have prevented the state government from framing rules to implement it. Under the terms of the 2003 act, anyone wishing to convert from one religion to another needs prior permission from the district magistrate. According to the amendment, people converting from one “sect” to another within the same religion would not require this permission.
Christians in Gujarat fear that the amended law, once enforced, may be used to harass Christians. A similar law enacted in Madhya Pradesh has contributed to an increase in the harassment and intimidation of Christians.
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