Is one's religion a police matter? If the answer is no, and religion in a secular country is a private affair, why is it necessary to report to the government if one changes religion?
That is what the Chhattisgarh government is proposing, along with a panoply of punitive measures such as fines between Rs 50,000 and one lakh and jail terms up to five years for those who fail to do so.
If the draft Bill becomes law it will be an extremely repressive piece of legislation that also incorporates provisions against those who convert people "forcibly".
If "forcibly" means converting people at the point of a sword or gun that isn't a clear and present danger, and existing laws are good enough to take care of this if it should happen.
The only point of such legislation on religious issues can be to harass those who choose to convert, as well as agencies that may have played a role in this process.
The intent behind the law has been articulated openly by Chhattisgarh's home minister Ram Vichar Netam. It is to prevent people from switching faiths.
But if one's religion is not freely chosen it becomes like the caste system one can't change what one is born into. That is surely against the spirit of any religion.
Similar legislation is also being introduced or has already been passed in other NDA-ruled states, the one in Rajasthan having the Orwellian title Freedom of Religion Bill 2006.
Any modern liberal society works on the principle of competition and choice. In the economic sphere we call it capitalism, in the political sphere democracy, in the religious sphere secularism.
The last is enshrined in Article 25 of the Constitution which, notably, allows Indian citizens not just to "practise" but also to "propagate" one's religion.
India's also a signatory to the universal declaration of human rights, Article 18 of which states "everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief".
Since NDA-ruled states appear intent on overturning this tenet of secularism by passing anti-conversion laws, BJP should quit accusing other parties of "pseudo-secularism"; its own stands acutely exposed.
Once we go down this road, and religion becomes a matter for state authorities to concern themselves with, what's next? A religious police, like Saudi Arabia or Taliban-ruled Afghanistan?
To stop going down this slippery slope we must refrain from policing religion, and respect the principle of religious choice.