Violent protests have shifted to the Indian capital, New Delhi, where arsonists torched three public transport buses, damaged several others, and resorted to stone-throwing. Police had to lob tear gas shells and cane-charging to disperse the mob.
Though a premier university is in the vicinity of the protest site, a university authority has clarified that its students were inside the campus staging peaceful protests. Reports indicate the arsonists were locals or activists from some political parties.
President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Delhi Unit Manoj Tiwari has accused the ruling party of the national capital – Aam Admi of inciting violence. His tweet in Hindi reads, “At the instance of (Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal, the local legislator is inciting the public”.
In central New Delhi, hundreds of protesters staged a sit-in against the law, which they allege is discriminatory against Muslims.
The Indian government enacted a citizenship law for non-Muslim migrants starting Friday. The law provides opportunities to six religious minorities – Hindus, Parsis, Jains, Christians, Buddhists, and Sikhs – from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan to receive Indian citizenship if they arrived in India before 2015.