Death Toll Rises to 42 in New Delhi Violence

The death toll from clashes between opponents and supporters of the new citizenship law in New Delhi has reached 42, according to doctors at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, reports Armenpress.

Violence broke out between supporters and opponents of the new law in several neighborhoods of New Delhi starting February 24. Following confrontations in the Maujpur, Jafrabad, Chand Bagh, and Karawal Nagar areas, authorities in the Indian capital imposed a curfew there, while Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called on the government to deploy military forces to these areas.

The amended citizenship law in India, which has already come into effect, provides for simplified citizenship for non-Muslims from several South Asian countries—Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh—if they face persecution in their home countries.