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An ecumenical delegation has met Madhya Pradesh Governor Balram Jakhar to register opposition of the Christian community to the amendments that would make the state law on religious conversion more stringent. The 15-member delegation comprising of Christian leaders of the state minority commission, met Governor Balram Jakhar on 27 July 2006 and urged him not to sign the revised law, which introduces more regulations on conversions. Amendments to laws or new bills passed by a state legislature take effect only when signed by the state's governor, who represents the President of India. On 25 July 2006, the State Government amended the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 1968, which aims to check religious conversion "by force, allurement or by fraudulent means." The pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rules the State. The amendments stipulate that people intending to convert from one religion to another, as well as religious official intending to preside over the conversion ceremony, must inform district officials of their intentions a month in advance. The law originally required the religious minister to provide authorities with details of the conversion only after the event. After the meeting, Iyengar said the Governor assured the delegation that he would refer the Bill to India's Attorney General, the legal adviser of the Central Government, and request for his opinion. Muslim and Sikh religious leaders described the amendments as a violation of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees citizens the right to follow a religion of their choice. Maulana Mehamood Ahmed Quadri, a Muslim leader, said the amendments negated an individual's right to choose a religion. In his view, the changes were targeted against Christians and Muslims. “I want a united forum of all members of minority religions in the state to be set up to defeat the Government's ‘biased move’", he said. Gyani Pritam Singh, a Sikh leader, said all minorities "need to take up the issue in unison." Singh is general secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Kendriya Guru Singh Sabha, the forum managing gurudwaras, Sikh places of worship, in the state. He said the amended law targeted mainly Christians and Sikhs because they served the poor and backward areas of society. He also said he wanted all minority communities in the state to join together to oppose the new law. Archbishop Pascal Topno of Bhopal said the Government did not want Christian missions to help any minority communities to progress due to political considerations. According to the Jesuit prelate, fanatic Hindus had been misusing the religious conversion law and the amendments would help such fundamentalist groups harass minority communities, especially Christians. Christians and their institutions had been suffering violent attacks ever since the BJP assumed power in Madhya Pradesh in December 2003. Just during the past six months, for instance, Jabalpur town witnessed more than 20 attacks on Christians and Christian institutions. In most cases, Hindu fundamentalists, allegedly with police connivance, ransacked homes and attacked prayer meetings, and then filed police complaints against Christians for carrying a copy of the Bible and other Christian literature, which they claimed was an attempt to carry out religious conversion. Archbishop Topno said, "The Church will continue with its activities. Christians will band together to fight the amendments, which are undemocratic and against human dignity." Similarly, Pastor Suresh Karton, spokesperson of the Church of North India's Bhopal diocese, said the amended law would affect the services his Church provides to its members. He said his Church would join with the leaders of other Christian organizations to try to change the law. Christians, Muslims, Sikhs and Buddhists are considered religious minorities in the state of 60 million people, of whom 91 per cent are Hindus.
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