Delhi Violence Toll Rises To 19
Members of Rapid Action Force (RAF) move past smoldering debris after it was set on fire by demonstrators in a riot-affected area after fresh clashes erupted between people demonstrating for and against a new citizenship law in New Delhi on February 25, 2020
At least 19 people have been killed in the Indian capital during clashes between opposing protesters over a new citizenship law, a senior hospital official told Reuters on Wednesday, even as an eerie calm descended on some riot-torn areas of New Delhi.
“There are 15 patients in critical condition,” the hospital official from the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital told Reuters, adding that a total of 19 people had now died at the facility. Police used tear gas and smoke grenades, but struggled to disperse stone-throwing crowds.
The clashes, which coincided with a visit to India by U.S. President Donald Trump, erupted early this week between thousands demonstrating for and against the new citizenship law introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist-led government. Critics say the law is biased against Muslims and undermines India’s secular constitution.
