NEW DELHI: The death toll in India’s capital from violence last week between Hindus and Muslims rose to 46, officials said on Monday, a day after false rumors of new violence led to panicked calls to police in many parts of the city.
The riots in New Delhi began over India’s disputed new citizenship law, which led to clashes in which hundreds were injured and houses, shops, mosques, schools and vehicles were set on fire.
Tensions between Hindu hard-liners and Muslims protesting the Hindu-first policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had been building for months when the violence exploded a week ago on Sunday, the eve of US President Donald Trump’s state visit to India.
Apart from a single tweet after the riots had almost ended, Modi has been publicly silent on the violence.
His powerful home minister, Amit Shah, has accused opposition parties of inciting the riots by spreading misinformation about the citizenship law, which fast-tracks naturalisation for religious minorities from several neighbouring countries but not Muslims. The rumours spreading on Sunday included reports of armed groups marching in neighbourhoods while chanting slogans, and houses being set on fire.
The panic subsided when police reached out to both Hindu and Muslim religious leaders and asked them to help maintain calm in their neighbourhoods. Police also issued statements and some lawmakers took to the streets to reassure people that the situation was normal.
