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India police ban protests against citizenship law India police ban protests against citizenship law
(32 minutes later)
Police have banned protests against a controversial new citizenship law in several parts of India.Police have banned protests against a controversial new citizenship law in several parts of India.
The ban has been imposed in parts of the capital Delhi, Uttar Pradesh state, and some areas of Karnataka state, including Bangalore city.The ban has been imposed in parts of the capital Delhi, Uttar Pradesh state, and some areas of Karnataka state, including Bangalore city.
It comes after days of protests across India, some of which turned violent as protesters and police clashed. Protesters are reportedly being detained in many cities as they turned up in defiance of police orders.
The new law offers citizenship to non-Muslim illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.The new law offers citizenship to non-Muslim illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
The DGP of Uttar Pradesh, OP Singh, has asked people to stay away from protests. The police order, based on a severely restrictive law, prohibits more than four people from gathering in a place. Police say the ban has been imposed to avoid violence. The law - known as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) - has sharply divided opinions in India.
Police in other cities - such as Chennai (formerly Madras) - have denied permission for marches, rallies or any other demonstration.
But the protests are expected to continue as planned in Uttar Pradesh, Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi - civil society groups, political parties, students, activists and ordinary citizens have taken to social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter asking people to turn up and protest peacefully.
Some parts of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, which is home to more than 200 million people, witnessed violent protests earlier this week.
The law has sharply divided opinions in India.
The federal government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), says it will protect people from persecution, but critics say it's part of a "Hindu nationalist" agenda to marginalise India's more than 200 million Muslims.The federal government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), says it will protect people from persecution, but critics say it's part of a "Hindu nationalist" agenda to marginalise India's more than 200 million Muslims.
Adding to the fears is a government announcement that it plans to carry out a widespread exercise to weed out "infiltrators" from neighbouring countries. The protest ban comes after days of demonstrations across India, some of which turned violent as protesters and police clashed.
The police chief of Uttar Pradesh, OP Singh, has asked people to stay away from protests. The police order, based on a severely restrictive law, prohibits more than four people from gathering in a place. Police say the ban has been imposed to avoid violence.
Police in other places - such as Chennai (formerly Madras) - have denied permission for marches, rallies or any other demonstration.
But the protests appear to be continuing as planned in Uttar Pradesh, Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi - civil society groups, political parties, students, activists and ordinary citizens have taken to social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter asking people to turn up and protest peacefully.
Among those detained in Bangalore is Ramachandra Guha, a prominent historian and outspoken critic of the government.
Police have put up barricades on a major highway connecting Delhi and the city of Jaipur and checking all vehicles entering the capital. This has led to a massive gridlock and many commuters have missed their flights.
A number of metro stations in Delhi have also been shut.
What is the law about?
It expedites the path to Indian citizenship for members of six religious minority communities - Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian - if they can prove that they are from Muslim-majority Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh. They will now only have to live or work in India for six years - instead of 11 years - before becoming eligible to apply for citizenship.
The government says this will give sanctuary to people fleeing religious persecution. But critics say its actual agenda is to marginalise India's Muslim minority.
The fears are compounded by the government's plan to conduct a nationwide register of citizens to ensure that "each and every infiltrator is identified and expelled from India" by 2024. The National Citizen's Register (NRC) has already been carried out in the north-eastern state of Assam and saw 1.9 million people effectively made stateless.
The NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Act are closely linked as the latter will help protect non-Muslims who are excluded from the register and face the threat of deportation or internment.
Why are people protesting against it?
Given that the exercise relies on extensive documentation to prove that their ancestors lived in India, many Muslim citizens fear that they could be made stateless.Given that the exercise relies on extensive documentation to prove that their ancestors lived in India, many Muslim citizens fear that they could be made stateless.
Critics also say the law is exclusionary and violates the secular principles enshrined in the constitution. They say faith should not be made a condition of citizenship.
However, Mr Modi said the law "will have no effect on citizens of India, including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Christians and Buddhists".However, Mr Modi said the law "will have no effect on citizens of India, including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Christians and Buddhists".
The prime minister also told his supporters at a rally on Tuesday that the opposition was "spreading lies and rumours", "instigating violence" and "used its full force to create an atmosphere of illusion and falsehood".The prime minister also told his supporters at a rally on Tuesday that the opposition was "spreading lies and rumours", "instigating violence" and "used its full force to create an atmosphere of illusion and falsehood".
Home Minister Amit Shah echoed the sentiment to media saying "both my government and I are firm like a rock that we will not budge or go back on the citizenship protests".Home Minister Amit Shah echoed the sentiment to media saying "both my government and I are firm like a rock that we will not budge or go back on the citizenship protests".
Who is protesting and why?
There have been demonstrations in cities across India.
Opponents say the law is exclusionary and violates the secular principles enshrined in the constitution. They say faith should not be made a condition of citizenship.
Others though - particularly in border states - fear being "overrun" by new arrivals from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Many of the student demonstrations focus less on the law itself but more on the alleged police brutality against protesters.
How violent are the protests?
The capital Delhi has seen mass protests over the past days after a student demonstration a Jamila Milia Islamia University on Sunday turned violent and left dozens injured.
A man injured during the protests on that day told the BBC a policeman had shot him with a pistol or revolver.
Authorities deny police used live ammunition and have suggested the wounds might be from shrapnel from tear gas canisters.
On Tuesday, images from the city's Seelampur area, which has a large Muslim population, showed stone-throwing crowds confronting police officers. Police retaliated with tear gas and batons.
Earlier this week, Mr Modi had attempted to calm tensions in a series of tweets saying "this is the time to maintain peace, unity and brotherhood".
What is the law about?
The act offers amnesty to non-Muslim illegal immigrants from three countries - Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
It amends India's 64-year-old citizenship law, which currently prohibits illegal migrants from becoming Indian citizens.
It also expedites the path to Indian citizenship for members of six religious minority communities - Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian - if they can prove that they are from Muslim-majority Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh. They will now only have to live or work in India for six years - instead of 11 years - before becoming eligible to apply for citizenship.
The government says this will give sanctuary to people fleeing religious persecution.
Critics say its actual agenda is to marginalise India's Muslim minority.
The fears are compounded by the government's plan to "weed out infiltrators". Home Minister Amit Shah proposed a nationwide register of citizens to ensure that "each and every infiltrator is identified and expelled from India" by 2024.
The National Citizen's Register (NRC) has already been carried out in the north-eastern state of Assam and saw 1.9 million people effectively made stateless.
In the run-up to its publication, the BJP had supported the NRC, but changed tack days before the final list was published, saying it was ridden with errors.
The reason was that a lot of Bengali Hindus - a strong voter base for the BJP - were also left out of the list, and would possibly become illegal immigrants, correspondents say.
However, the NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Act are closely linked as the latter will help protect non-Muslims who are excluded from the register and face the threat of deportation or internment.