Nine more people died in the Northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday as Indian police clashed with thousands of protestors opposing the disputed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The latest deaths, which included an eight-year-old boy, have taken the nationwide death toll to 23, with dozens injured, as unrest over the CAA continue for a second week. The eight-year-old boy had died as a result of a stampede when police forces attempted to quell protestors.
The law, which will grant citizenship to persecuted immigrants of six non-Muslim communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, has been criticised for excluding Eelam Tamils and Muslims.
Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, questioned the need for the legislation on Friday. "People are dying because of this law. Why is there a necessity to do this when all the while, for 70 years, they have lived together as citizens without any problem?" he asked.
Internet blackouts and anti-terror squads have been deployed across the country; there have also been widespread reports of intrusions in universities and houses of demonstrators to thwart planning of any fresh protests. Police have implemented Section 144 across the country, which bans the assembly of more than four people state-wide, in an attempt to combat the expanding protest movements.
Students continue to organise protests and show solidarity to the minorities omitted from the bill, across the country despite imposed curfews and bans on public gatherings. There were demonstrations earlier this week at St. Joseph’s and Jamal Mohamed College demanding the state for a response on why Tamils refugees from Sri Lanka will not be granted citizenship. “We also condemn the police brutality and an attempt at quelling students' voices at Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University,” said a student representative.
Peaceful protests were reported across Assam, Delhi, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Maharashtra after initially witnessing sporadic moments of violent clashes between police forces and protestors. On Saturday, around 500 Jamia Millia Islamia students in New Delhi staged a demonstration outside the varsity campus against the CAA. This comes days after there were fierce altercations between police officials and protestors.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on Sunday where he called for unity on diversity. He insisted that government works on implementing reforms that do not hold religious bias. "The law does not impact 1.3 billion Indians, and I must assure Muslim citizens of India that this law will not change anything for them," said Modi.
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