Indian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Raveesh Kumar on Thursday warned against politicizing the ongoing riots in New Delhi, which broke out earlier this week during protests against changes to the citizenship law, after the United States accused the Indian government of inaction with regard to stopping police violence against Muslims
NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th February, 2020) Indian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Raveesh Kumar on Thursday warned against politicizing the ongoing riots in New Delhi, which broke out earlier this week during protests against changes to the citizenship law, after the United States accused the Indian government of inaction with regard to stopping police violence against Muslims.
During four days of clashes in northern New Delhi, at least 34 people have been killed and more than 200 injured. Curfews have been issued for the Maujpur, Jafrabad, Chand Bagh and Karawal Nagar districts, and the city's Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, has called on the government to send in troops to reign in rioters. Meanwhile, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said Wednesday that it was alarmed by reports of violence in the capital, particularly against Muslims, the group that will be most affected by the citizenship law changes, and called on the Indian government to stop its "clear violation of international human rights standards" and take urgent measures to ensure the safety of all its citizens.
"We have seen comments made by USCIRF, sections of the media and a few individuals regarding recent incidents of violence in Delhi. These are factually inaccurate and misleading, and appear to be aimed at politicising the issue," Kumar wrote on Twitter.
The spokesman added that Indian security agencies and the government were making efforts to prevent violence.
"Prime Minister has publicly appealed for peace and brotherhood. We would urge that irresponsible comments are not made at this sensitive time," the spokesman argued.
In December, the Indian parliament passed a bill amending the 1955 Indian citizenship law, fast-tracking citizenship procedures for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians who had fled from neighboring Muslim countries over being persecuted there before December 2014. Muslims themselves are excluded from the procedure, which has prompted outrage from the Indian Muslim community, which says the amendments are discriminatory.
