Deadly protests broke out across India on Tuesday over a controversial citizenship bill that critics fear could further marginalize the country's minority Muslim community.
Protests broke out across nine states, including in major cities such as Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and the capital New Delhi, mostly around university campuses, reports CNN.
Meanwhile, ongoing protests in Assam, in India's northeast, turned violent, with at least five people killed, police said.
More than 100 of students were injured after police stormed New Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), located 130km from the capital, to disperse the protests, reports Al Jazeera.
The students were demonstrating against the passing of a contentious law that seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from neighbouring countries and has the potential to turn its Muslim citizens stateless, if they fail to trace their ancestry to the land.
In the northeastern state of Assam, the epicentre of the protests, a curfew imposed in some regions was lifted early Tuesday.
Demonstrators react during a protest against a new citizenship law, in New Delhi, India, December 15, 2019 | Reuters
Opposition parties meet India's president
A delegation of opposition leaders, led by Congress party's interim president Sonia Gandhi, has met Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and urged the president to intervene and advise the government to repeal the Citizenship Act.
A memorandum was submitted by leaders of opposition parties to President Ram Nath Kovind during the meeting.
"We have an example in Delhi where police entered Jamia women's hostel and dragged them out [and] mercilessly beat students," Sonia Gandhi told reporters, according to ANI news agency.
"I think you all have seen that the Modi government seems to have no compassion when it comes to shutting down people's voices and implement legislation."
Fresh protests in northeast Delhi
Scores of people on Tuesday gathered in northeast Delhi's Seelampur area to protest against the amended Citizenship Act, police said.
Buses and a police outpost were torched and tear gas filled streets as thousands of protesters hurled stones at police, reports AFP.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said it has closed at least four metro stations in the Indian capital which were opened later in the evening.
Alok Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police, said that 21 people were injured in the violence, reports Firstpost.
MS Randhawa, the Delhi Police PRO, refuted reports that a police station was burnt by protesters in Seelampur.
‘Shoot at sight’
Union Minister of State for Railways, Suresh Angadi, spoke regarding the damage to property that has occured during the nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, reports Firstpost.
He said: "I strictly warn concerned district administration and railway authorities, if anybody destroys public property, including railway, I direct as a minister, shoot them at sight..."
Another protest in Kolkata
In the eastern city of Kolkata, more than 20,000 protesters joined a fresh march led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a fierce critic of Modi.
Train services were disrupted after railway tracks were blocked by protesters, while nearly 700 people have been arrested, Banerjee said.
Authorities have imposed internet blackouts and used force to shut down rallies and sit-ins across several states.
Tension in Uttar Pradesh district over new law
At least 28 people have been detained in connection with violent incidents in Uttar Pradesh state's Mau district in northern India, police said, according to India's ANI news agency.
The agency quoted Mau's district magistrate as saying that all schools and colleges in the district will remain closed till further orders.
10 arrested over Jamia violence
Police in India have arrested at least 10 people in connection with Sunday's violence at JMI university that left at least 100 people injured, many of them students, local media has reported.
Delhi Police has said that no Jamia student was among the arrested, according to the NDTV website.
Jamia Vice Chancellor Najma Akhtar has called for a high-level investigation into the police action.
Police enters Madras University
Protests in Madras University campus were underway when Chennai Police personnel entered the campus this evening.
Students sitting inside the campus of Madras University were protesting against the Citizenship Act since 12pm.
Police personnel have been kept on "stand-by" in case the protest turns violent, India Today reported.
Jammu and Kashmir Police beat up journalists on duty
The Jammu and Kashmir Police officials beat up journalists outside the Islamia College in the capital, Srinagar while they were discharging professional duties, reporters said.
Nine students detained in Bengaluru
Nine students detained for protesting against CAA. They were released after three and half hours of detention.
"We were forced by the police to sign a bond that we would not take part in any protest henceforth but we denied doing so," a student who was released after she was detained for 3.5 hours in SJ Park police station, Bengaluru for participating in CAA Protests said.
