Christian groups have decried changes to laws said to enshrine “freedom of religion” by legislators in India’s central state of Madhya Pradesh, ruled by the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), a party opponents describe as having a Hindu nationalist agenda. Under an amendment to the Freedom of Religion Act passed without discussion in the state legislature, the government now requires persons changing their religion to report to authorities about it one month before doing so. The existing law requires people changing their religion to report this to the government within one month of making the move. (Ecumenical News International)
