The death toll in northeast New Delhi during clashes between supporters and opponents of the new citizenship law in India rose to 46 after the bodies of four more were discovered, reports the Indian Times.
Clashes between supporters and opponents of the new citizenship law occurred in several areas of New Delhi earlier this week. After clashes in the districts of Majipur, Jafrabad, Chand Bagh and Karal Nagar, authorities in the Indian capital imposed a curfew there, and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kajrival called on the government to bring an army into these areas. Previously, doctors reported 42 dead and about 300 injured in the riots.
Meanwhile, authorities have denied allegations that new unrest erupted in areas in the west of New Delhi.
“I got to the place as soon as I heard about the riots, the shops were closed, people were in a panic, but there was no riot. It was a conspiracy to spread rumors and disturb peace. I urge people to maintain peace and brotherhood and not believe the rumors”, – said Jarnail Singh, a member of the legislative assembly of Tilak Nagara, a suburb of Delhi.
In accordance with amendments to the Citizenship Act adopted by the Indian Parliament, 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 in their homeland. The law provoked the discontent of Indian Muslims, who believe that the amendments violate the constitution, as they oppress some of the citizens in a formally secular country on religious grounds. Resentment was also expressed by residents of the northeastern states, who are afraid that now millions of people from Bangladesh can legally settle in their regions. This, according to the organizers of the protests, threatens the interests of the local population.
The opposition believes that the law is discriminatory in that it deprives Muslims of the possibility of obtaining citizenship, although in officially secular India with a population of 1.3 billion people, Islamic followers make up more than 10% of the population. According to critics, in these conditions, religious affiliation should not be a condition for obtaining citizenship.