Citizenship Act protests: Three dead and thousands held in India




Media captionAnti-citizenship law protests spread across Indian cities

Three people have died in India and thousands have been detained amid demonstrations against a controversial new citizenship law.
A protest ban has been imposed in parts of the capital Delhi and throughout the states of Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.
Critics fear the law undermines India's secular constitution, and say faith should not be the basis of citizenship.
There have been days of protests against the law. India's home minister has called a crisis meeting to discuss the demonstrations.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across the country on Thursday, despite the police order based on a severely restrictive law which prohibits more than four people from gathering in a place.
Commissioner Dr PS Harsha told reporters that a curfew is in place in the city, and that he was waiting for a post mortem before announcing the cause of death for either man. Internet services have also been suspended in Mangalore for 48 hours.

A burnt bus in Lucknow
Image captionBuses were burnt in the city of Lucknow

Civil society groups, political parties, students, activists and ordinary citizens put out a steady stream of messages on Instagram and Twitter, urging people to turn out and protest peacefully.
Speaking to the BBC's Newshour programme, Mr Guha said he had been arrested with hundreds of others from various different backgrounds, "which clearly shows that a large section of Indians are actually opposed to this discriminatory legislation".

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Protesters hold placards during a demonstration against India's new citizenship law in Mumbai on December 19, 2019Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionHundreds have gathered in Mumbai to protest
Protesters react from a bus after being arrested at a demonstration against India's new citizenship law in New Delhi on December 19, 2019.Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionPolice have been escorting students into buses and driving them away from the demonstrations

What is the law about?

The law - known as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) - offers amnesty to non-Muslim illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
But what has made the law especially controversial is that it comes in the wake of the government's plan to publish a nationwide register of citizens that it says will identify illegal immigrants - namely, anyone who doesn't have the documents to prove that their ancestors lived in India.
The NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Act are closely linked as the latter will protect non-Muslims who are excluded from the register and face the threat of deportation or internment.

Why are people protesting against it?

Many Muslim citizens fear that they could be made stateless if they don't have the necessary documents; and critics also say the law is exclusionary and violates the secular principles enshrined in India's constitution.
He also blamed the opposition for the protests, accusing them of "spreading lies and rumours" and "instigating violence" and "creating an atmosphere of illusion and falsehood".



Media captionMohammed Tameen says police shot him at close range

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