...A hardline Hindu group called on followers to reach those who have been converted by Christian missionaries, Agencie France Presse said. The RSS, or National Volunteer Corps, said Hindu groups should bring back those "lured away by force, fraud, and allurement." The group advocates a nationalist Hindu state.

...The RSS criticized Pope John Paul's call for evangelism in Asia, which "demonstrated that he abused the hospitality that brought him to this land of tolerance, which accepted all religions with equal respect," the group said. The RSS is thought to be one of several groups that incite Hindu fundamentalists to carry out violent attacks on Christians, Compass said. Such attacks have increased in the past two years , Christians say.

...The government of Gujarat state withdrew a bill that called for all religious conversions to be investigated by police, Compass said. The bill called for sentences of up to three years in prison for those found guilty of converting Hindus to Christianity by "fraud, allurement, or force." The government scrapped the bill after protests by Christians and other religious groups.