A local bishop in India has voiced his objection to a proposed new anti-conversion law in the State of Uttar Pradesh.

The UP State Law Commission on submitted a report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath suggesting a new law to check “forcible religious conversions.” The head of the commission, Justice Aditya Nath Mittal, was quoted in local media as saying that “existing legal provisions are not enough to check religious conversion and on this serious matter, a new law is needed like in 10 other [Indian] states.”

The proposed law would increase the punishment for “forced conversion” to seven years if the convert is under 18 or belonging to one of India’s Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, who have traditionally been on the bottom of the country’s society. Bp Gerald John Mathias of Lucknow told Crux the law is not needed.

“The Catholic Church is always against any ‘forceful conversion.’ Forced conversion is a contradictory term; if anyone is forcibly converted, he or she is not actually converted. Unless there is an internal conversion, there is no conversion. There has to be a conversion of ‘heart’ for any real conversion. If a person is not ready to accept Christ, or is unwilling to accept Christ, no amount of force, can convert that person,” the bishop said. He said the Church has seen a “spurt in incidents against the Christians.”