Eleven dead in New Delhi protests against citizenship law
Protests in India’s capital New Delhi against a new controversial law erupted. The death toll in the protests rose to 11. One police officer was killed in the violence after he was hit by rocks, police said. Protesters also set a mosque on fire.
The violent protests cast shadow on US president Donald Trump’s visit to India, aimed at deepening bilateral ties. He met with India’s PM Narendra Modi, who offered the law as part of his government’s nationalist program.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) allows citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians who illegally migrated to India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. It, however, does not allow citizenship for Muslims, and was dubbed “anti-Muslim”.
Major violence has been reported from Muslim populated areas such as Karawal Nagar, Maujpur, Bhajanpura, Vijay Park and Yamuna Vihar.
Chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, had an urgent meeting with his newly elected legislators in the capital. He appealed to residents to maintain peace.