Curfew In Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur After Violence Over Citizenship Law

Curfew has been imposed in some areas of Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district after a protest march against the citizenship law turned violent.

The incident took place despite the Congress-led state government putting in place restrictions on assembly in 50 out of 52 districts amid violent protests against the law in many parts of the country.

After Friday prayers at Madar Tekri, a big crowd marched towards the district collectorate. The protest soon turned violent. Stones were thrown at the police; several vehicles including police vans were also vandalised by the mob. The police then used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

10 police personnel have been injured in the violence.

According to the police, minors were among those who indulged in throwing stones and vandalism.

"Children and teenagers aged between 7 to 15 years, who may have no knowledge about the NRC (National Register for Citizens) or CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) threw stones at the police, but the armed police personnel maintained their calm and didn't resort to firing. We'll start taking action against those who indulged in violence. We've identified all those who had indulged in violence, including the boys and their guardians. All of them will be booked for rioting," Jabalpur police chief Amit Singh said.

Meanwhile, protests organized in the state capital Bhopal remained peaceful. Internet services remained suspended from 4 pm to 7 pm in various parts of the city.

Police have issued a directive to WhatsApp group administrators to ensure that objectionable comments affecting law and order are not posted and shared.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act for the first time makes religion the test of citizenship in India. The government says it will help minorities from three Muslim-dominated countries to get citizenship if they fled to India because of religious persecution. Critics say it is designed to discriminate against Muslims and violates the secular principals of the constitution.