Indian government limits Internet after riots

The government of India has decided to restrict Internet access to residents of several regions in the North and North-East of the country in connection with the Monday night riots around a new version of the law on citizenship, Report informs citing RIA Novosti.

According to this information, the restrictions affected the states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, as well as the national capital district of Delhi, where mass protests have been ongoing for several days, which resulted in clashes with the police last night.

Controversial amendments to the citizenship law, which officially came into force at the end of last week, provide for the possibility of simplified Indian citizenship for non - Muslims from neighboring South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh - if they faced harassment at home.

The law provoked the discontent of Indian Muslims, who believe that the amendments violate the Constitution, as they oppress some citizens in the formally secular country on religious grounds. Outrage was expressed by residents of the North-Eastern States of the country, who fear that now millions of immigrants from Bangladesh will be able to legally settle in their regions. This, according to the organizers of the protests, threatens the interests of the local population.