NEW DELHI, Dec 21 (NNN-PTI) – The death toll, during protests against the controversial new citizenship law, has risen to 10, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police said today (Saturday).
The dead include an 8-year-old boy, who was trampled in the stampede, after police resorted to baton charging, in Dharara locality of Varanasi district.
According to Uttar Pradesh Police Chief, O P Singh, nine people were killed on Friday, and none of the deaths were caused by police firing.
“Nine deaths have taken place and police have not fired a single shot,” Singh told a local television channel. “If any firing happened, it was from the protesters’ side. Let the post-mortem be carried out, everything will get clear.”
Violent protests Friday, broke out in several parts of the state against the citizenship bill, despite prohibitory orders from the government.
Locals said, clashes broke out when the police tried to stop people from taking out protest rallies against the bill. Police fired tear smoke shells and resorted to baton charging the protesters, who responded by throwing stones.
Authorities had already suspended mobile internet services at around a dozen districts in the state.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, warned that his government will take revenge on those involved in damaging public assets, by auctioning their properties to compensate for the loss.
One person was killed on Thursday in Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, with two people killed at Mangaluru, in the southern state of Karnataka. Four people were killed in the northeastern state of Assam.
The law aims at granting citizenship to illegal immigrants belonging to six religions — Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Parsi and Christianity — from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, it kept out Muslim immigrants from applying.
Opposition parties and civil society members in India criticise the law as contrary to secular principles enshrined in India’s constitution, as it excludes Muslims.
Political parties, civil society activists and individuals have filed 60 petitions in India’s top court, to challenge the new law.
