Feb 26, 2020 - World

Deadly Delhi clashes: What you need to know

Rebecca Falconer

Protesters supporting a new citizenship law throw stones at the burning houses and shops of those who are opposing the law — Supporters of a new citizenship law throw stones at the burning houses and shops of those who oppose the law during clashes in Delhi, India. Photo: Yawar Nazir/ Getty Images

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called for the Indian Army to be called in on Wednesday as the capital's worst religious violence in decades entered a third day.

What's happening: The BBC reports at least 20 people have been killed and 189 others wounded since Sunday in the clashes between Hindu and Muslim groups over a new citizenship law.

Some Muslims abandoned their homes after they were targeted by looters, per the Guardian.

The big picture: The clashes coincided with President Trump's two-day visit to India. Muslims in northeast Delhi had staged a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, which allows religious minorities but excludes Muslims from nearby countries to become citizens if they can show they were persecuted for their religion.

Trump told reporters before departing Tuesday that he had "heard about the violence but had not discussed it" with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi because he wanted to leave the issue with Indian authorities, according to AP.

Of note: Modi's Hindu nationalist government has repeatedly blocked internet access in parts of the country that are home to protests against the citizenship law.

Last year, the government suspended the special status of Jammu and Kashmir — India's only Muslim-majority state.

Go deeper: India gives Trump warm welcome as brutal protests rip New Delhi apart

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Deadly Delhi clashes: What you need to know

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