At least 1,200 protesters arrested in New Delhi state capital and thousands more arrested across state • Protest broke out following new citizenship law exempting Muslims

• Policeman shoots tear gas in New Delhi // Photo: Reuters

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of New Delhi, the capital of India, and other cities across the state today to pursue protests against the controversial citizenship law last week. To date, at least 8 people have been killed in clashes with security forces and at least 1,200 protesters have been arrested in New Delhi alone, with thousands more arrested across the state.

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India: Protests against New Citizenship Law // Photo: Reuters

The current protest erupted in the wake of the new Citizenship Act, which is at the heart of the divisive divide. The current law allows the granting of citizenship through the existence of expedited procedure to non-Muslim immigrants, arriving in India from three neighboring countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

Last week, opponents of the law launched a protest claiming that it undermines India's secular foundations and that Narendra Modi, who heads the current nationalist government, speaks to 200 million Muslim Indians. Since the outbreak of protests, Modi's government has continued to hold on to the stubborn approach advocated by the law.

Demonstrations in India around controversial citizenship law // Photo: AFP

Throughout the week, state authorities have banned protests in some areas of New Delhi's capital and other counties across the state, and the Internet has been severed in clashes. The clashes with security forces surfaced into violent episodes in which police used tear gas against the protesters and in some cases live fire. At the same time, and as part of attempts to restore peace to the streets, authorities have banned human gatherings in some of the city's Muslim neighborhoods.

Demolition protesters in India police vehicles // Photo: IP

On Wednesday, the state Supreme Court refused to postpone the date on which the law would begin, despite the wave of protests that swept the state. And this after UN Secretary-General Stephen Dewrich's spokesman on Tuesday claimed that the UN was "concerned about the violence and the alleged excessive use of security forces."