GANDHINAGAR (India), Sept 20: A move to enforce a ban on conversions in western India renewed a bitter religious debate on Wednesday in a state where deadly riots between Muslims and Hindus erupted in 2002.

The government in the western state of Gujarat, led by a Hindu nationalist party, backed legislation approved on Tuesday that prevents Hindus from converting to Islam or Christianity without permission from the authorities.

The Bharatiya Janata Party sponsored the legislation because it accuses Christian missionaries of aggressively pursuing new recruits with financial lures.

Jail terms of up to four years are threatened for those behind ‘fraudulent’ conversions under the legislation.

Religious leaders slammed the ‘draconian’ move in a state which has a long history of tense relations between religious communities.—AFP