This archive report was first published on 21 December 2019.
At least 20 people have lost their lives in the ongoing protests against India's contentious citizenship law, with the latest deaths bringing the nationwide toll to 20.
On Friday, demonstrations turned violent in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, where Muslims make up almost 20 percent of the 200-million population.
According to police, 11 people died in Uttar Pradesh, including a child who was trampled in a stampede-like situation in the holy city of Varanasi.
Uttar Pradesh police spokesman Shirish Chandra confirmed that the other 10 people died after being shot.
"Ten people were killed on Friday. All of them were bullet fatalities. We are looking into other cases," Chandra said.
Police have exercised complete restraint against the crowds that engaged in attacking them with stones, said district police chief Prabhakar Chaudhary.
The protests have been sparked by a law that gives people from persecuted minorities from three neighboring countries an easier path to citizenship, but not if they are Muslim.
Critics say the law discriminates against Muslims and is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist agenda, but he has repeatedly denied the claims.
Authorities have scrambled to contain the situation, imposing emergency laws, blocking internet access, and shutting down shops and restaurants in sensitive pockets across the country.
