CALCUTTA, India (CWNews.com) - Hundreds of Christians protested outside a government office on Thursday against a state government order that anyone seeking a religious conversion must receive police permission.

    Religious conversions have become controversial in India with extremist Hindu groups claiming Christians have tricked or forced the poor or uneducated into converting to their religion. In recent years, Christians, who make up a tiny minority of the population, have been subject to attacks and even murder by extremists.

    The order by the Orissa state government requires people who are converting to Christianity to apply to a local official and receive police clearance. The United Forum of Catholics and Protestants said the order is unconstitutional.