Thousands of riot police and paramilitaries were patrolling the affected neighborhoods. The unrest follows months of protests against a controversial citizenship law.
Image: Reuters/P. De Chowdhuri
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New Delhi's worst communal rioting in decades has left 35 dead, following armed violence between Hindu and Muslim populations in the northeastern reaches of the Indian capital.
Meanwhile, thousands of riot police and paramilitaries patrolled the affected neighborhoods in an effort to curb the violence. The riots followed months of anti-government protests in Muslim communities.
More than 200 people have been injured since late Sunday in clashes that saw large groups of Hindus and Muslims fighting each other with swords and guns, and left thousands of properties and vehicles burned.
Muslim 'massacres'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed what he called "massacres" of Muslims in India on Thursday.
"India right now has become a country where massacres are widespread. What massacres? Massacres of Muslims. By who? Hindus," he said during a speech in Ankara.
Tensions have been building over a new citizenship law that critics say will further marginalize the country's 200-million-strong Muslim population. Some also believe that the law threatens India's secular society by turning it into a Hindu state.
Erdogan, a devout Muslim, often takes public stands on issues concerning Islam and its followers. He accused the mobs of hurting children studying with "metal sticks as if to kill" them. "How will these people make global peace possible? It is impossible," he said.
Many of the Muslims in India fear that the law will leave them stateless or send them to detention camps. Modi's right-wing ruling party hasdenied the allegationsbut in recent weeks members have called protesters "anti-nationals" and "jihadists," according to Turkish state broadcaster TRT World.
India's new citizenship law ignites religious tensions
Dozens of people have been killed as a result of protests against India's controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. Critics say the law is aimed at marginalizing Muslims and goes against India's secular constitution.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/A. Solanki
Shutdown in parts of India
The Indian government suspended internet services and tightened security on Friday in several parts of the country, including the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The government is expecting another wave of violent protests against the controversial new Citizenship Amendment Act, which was enacted on December 11.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/I. Khan
Defending India's secular constitution
The new law gives Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Christian and Parsi immigrants from Muslim-majority Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan a path toward fast-track citizenship. Critics say the law discriminates against Muslims and that the award of citizenship based on religion violates India's secular constitution.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/B. Boro
Fears of citizenship registration
The Indian government is also preparing plans for a National Register of Citizens (NRC), in what it says is an attempt to identify and expel undocumented illegal immigrants. If a nationwide NRC is implemented, critics fear that residents unable to prove citizenship would be turned stateless. A similar exercise in Assam state has already excluded nearly 2 million residents from the list.
Image: picture-alliance/Pacific Press/S. Sen
Outcry of intellectuals
Several liberal-minded intellectuals such as the well-known writer Arundhati Roy have sharply criticized the new law and the government's plan to create a nationwide citizenship registration. Conservative politicians such as Subramanian Swamy, a former minister of commerce, has called for Roy to be arrested and charged with sedition.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Sharma
Students against the new law
Students from several universities across the country have taken to the streets to protest against the new measures. Several student organizations are at the forefront of the protests. They are making use of social media to wage a parallel battle online and teach people how to organize demonstrations.
Image: DW/A. Ansari
Police cracking down on protesters
Indian authorities have deployed thousands of riot police to control the protests. At least 25 people have so far died in two weeks of at times violent demonstrations. India's army chief has also criticized the role of students in the protests.
Image: AFP/B. Boro
Hindu nationalists adamant
Prime minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has remained adamant throughout the protests. They say that people are misguided and don't understand the real meaning of the law. The BJP blames the opposition Congress Party for creating confusion and igniting fear.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. Singh
Supporters of new citizenship act
The Rashitrya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a right-wing, Hindu-nationalist paramilitary volunteer organization. Members of the group, which is the parent organization of the BJP, were seen parading on the outskirts of Hyderabad in support of the new law.