Churches in and around Mumbai (India's financial capital and the largest city in Maharashtra state) have begun requiring worshippers to sign written declarations stating they are attending prayer services of their own free will — an informal safeguard against accusations of forced conversion under a sweeping new state law. The legislation, which took effect in late August, bans conversions achieved through force, fraud, or inducement and compels those wishing to convert voluntarily to notify authorities in advance, with violations carrying prison sentences of up to ten years. Critics warn that the law's vague definitions — classifying acts as ordinary as offering employment, free education, or even praising one religion over another as potential "allurements" — grant police and families sweeping powers to interfere in private religious choices, with particular consequences for minority Christians and interfaith couples.