Live Updates: Months-Long Protests in New Delhi Over Citizenship Amendment Act Turn Violent

India has been engulfed in mass protests against the so-called Citizenship Amendment Act since December 2019. The law provides a path to Indian citizenship for illegal immigrants from some religious minorities, but not Muslims.

As mass protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act have been ongoing for several months, Monday's escalation of public disorder saw police firing tear gas and using canes, while protesters hurled rocks, and set houses, shops and vehicles on fire.

The Monday mayhem has left at least seven people dead, including a police officer, while dozens were injured.

The protests come amid the visit of US President Donald Trump to the Asian nation as people kept an eye on whether the US president would criticize Modi over the legislation. Trump, however, has refrained from commenting on the protests and the amended law.

​​The Citizenship Law Act grants Indian citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who entered India before 2015. Protesters allege the law is discriminatory on religious grounds and violates the secular nature of the Indian Constitution - something the government strongly denies.