Clashes erupt in New Delhi over citizenship law; Modi rejects criticism

Clashes erupted in New Delhi on Tuesday between thousands
of protesters and police, the latest violence in a week of
opposition to a new law that makes it easier for non-Muslims
from neighboring countries to gain citizenship.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government says the new law
will save religious minorities such as Hindus and Christians
from persecution in neighboring Bangladesh, Pakistan and
Afghanistan by offering them a path to Indian citizenship.
But the law does not apply to Muslims, which critics say
weakens India’s secular foundations.
Police fired tear gas in the New Seelampur part of the capital
to push back protesters swarming to barricades and throwing
stones. At least two police were injured, a Reuters witness
said.
“It started as a peaceful protest against the citizenship bill …
but got out of hand,” resident Azib Aman said.
Cars were damaged and roads strewn with rocks while small
fires on the road sent smoke into the air. Small groups of
youth, some with their faces covered, threw stones and
bottles.
There have been growing questions about the stance of the
government, led by Modi’s Hindu-nationalist party, toward
India’s 172 million Muslims, or 14 percent of the population.
The citizenship law follows the revocation of the special
status of the Muslim-majority Kashmir region, and a court
ruling clearing the way for the construction of a Hindu temple
on the site of a mosque razed by Hindu zealots.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said India’s actions in
Kashmir and on the citizenship law could drive Muslims from
India and create a refugee crisis.
“We are worried there not only could be a refugee crisis, we
are worried it could lead to a conflict between two nuclear-
armed countries,” Khan told a Global Forum on Refugees in
Geneva.
Anger with the Indian government was stoked this week by
allegations of police brutality at Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia
university on Sunday, when officers entered the campus and
fired tear gas to break up a protest.
At least 100 people were wounded in the crackdown which
has drawn criticism from rights groups.
Modi told a rally for a state election on Tuesday that his
political rivals were trying to mislead students and others to
stir up protests.
“This is guerrilla politics, they should stop doing this.”
The most violent protests occurred initially in the northeastern
state of Assam, where mobs torched buildings and train
stations, angry the law would help thousands of immigrants
from Bangladesh become citizens.
Later, the unrest spread to New Delhi and other major cities,
driven by concern that Modi was advancing a Hindu-first
agenda and that India’s Muslims were at risk.
The metro train station near the Delhi protest was closed to
prevent more people from arriving. Riot police were deployed
and were trying to push the crowd off the main road into side
streets and alleys.