Twenty people died in clashes in north-east New Delhi that erupted on Monday between supporters and opponents of the citizenship law, PTI reported, citing medical reports.
Earlier it was reported that 18 people were killed and 150 injured, including children.
According to the latest figures quoted by the Hindustan Times, over 250 people were injured.
New Delhi authorities imposed curfews in riot-stricken areas in the north of the city the night before, the Times of India reports. Special measures have been introduced in Majipur, Jafrabad, Chand Bagh and Karal Nagar districts.
Under the amendments to the Citizenship Act of India, non-Muslim refugees from neighboring countries – Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh – will be able to obtain Indian citizenship under a simplified procedure if they face harassment at home. The law has provoked resentment among Indian Muslims who believe the amendments violate the constitution by oppressing some citizens in a formally secular country on religious grounds. Also outraged were residents of the northeastern states, who feared that millions of Bangladeshis could now legally settle in their regions. According to the organizers of the protests, this threatens the interests of the local population.
The opposition believes that the law is discriminatory because it deprives Muslims of the possibility of obtaining citizenship, although in officially secular India with a population of 1.3 billion people, followers of Islam constitute more than 10% of the population. According to critics, under these conditions, religious affiliation should not be a condition for acquiring citizenship.