[DAWN] More than 100 activists protesting against a new Indian citizenship law were maimed in New Delhi on Sunday as they clashed with police who used tear gas and baton charges to disperse demonstrators at a major university.
Thousands, including students at the Jamia Millia Islamia University, protested against a new law that will give citizenship to non-Moslems fleeing religious persecution from several neighboring countries. The third day of what had been a peaceful demonstration against the law, passed by India’s Parliament last week, descended into chaos on Sunday afternoon. Three buses were set on fire, police officials said.
Chinmoy Biswal, a top police official, said that six police personnel were maimed in the melee in an upscale enclave of south Delhi.
Student organisers blamed outsiders for the violence.
"We have time and again maintained that our protests are peaceful and non-violent," they said in a statement. "We stand by this approach and condemn any party involved in the violence."
The protests have raged particularly in some eastern states such as Assam, Tripura and West Bengal, where resentment towards Bangladeshi immigrants has persisted for decades. The death toll from violent protests in northeast India rose to six on Sunday.
Authorities have shut down internet access in several parts of the affected states in an attempt to maintain law and order.
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