Large gatherings banned amid protests against Indian citizenship law
dpa
NEW DELHI (dpa)- Orders prohibiting large gathering of people were issued in several parts of India Thursday as protests against a contentious citizenship law snowballed.
Several protesters gathering near the Red Fort in New Delhi, IT hub Bangalore and Hyderabad were detained by the police, news channel NDTV reported.
Orders banning gatherings of more than five people were imposed across the entire state of Uttar Pradesh, in Bangalore and parts of Karnataka.
The controversial Citizenship Amendment Act approved last week makes it easier for non-Muslim illegal migrants from three-Muslim majority countries – Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan – to acquire Indian citizenship if they are facing religious persecution.
The citizenship law has seen a spate of violent protests in the country over the past week, including in the north-eastern states bordering Bangladesh where ethnic tribal communities fear an influx of migrants across their borders with Bangladesh.
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