20 dead in Delhi riots, 189 wounded – hospital director

A protester from Shaheen Bagh, with an Indian map painted on his face, takes part in a demonstration against India’s new citizenship law at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi on January 29, 2020. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)

NEW DELHI — Twenty people have now died in days of sectarian riots in New Delhi, with 189 people wounded, including around 60 by gunshot, the director of the hospital treating most of those affected said Wednesday.

“The death toll stands at 20, 189 people are undergoing treatment at the hospital. Around 60 have gunshot wounds,” Sunil Kumar from the Guru Teg Bahadur hospital told AFP.

Protests against a contentious citizenship law on Sunday descended Monday and Tuesday into running battles between Hindus and Muslims, as rioters armed with stones, swords, and even guns went out in force in the Indian capital.

The rioting in northeastern parts of the sprawling megacity of 20 million people left a trail of destruction as mobs set fire to vehicles, buildings, including a tire market.

The violence raged just as US President Donald Trump visited India on Monday and Tuesday, holding talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trump left as scheduled on Tuesday.

Authorities in New Delhi were bracing Wednesday for more violence, bringing in riot police and paramilitary reinforcements.

Protests have broken out across India since the citizenship law came into force in December, leaving at least 30 people killed in clashes with police in December, mostly in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.