INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Three people have died in India during protests, as more than 1,200 people have been detained for defying bans on demonstrations.Arrests
have taken place in several of the nation's big cities as rallies continue a week on against what campaigners have called a "bigoted" new
law.Police have been accused of using excessive force as they try to clamp down on the protests.The Citizenship Amendment Act entitles
non-Muslims who are in the country illegally, to citizenship if they can prove they face religious persecution in Muslim-majority
Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.Image:Protests have been raging for a weekIt applies to Hindus, Christians and other religious
minorities, but not Muslims.Protesters say it is anti-Muslim, may cause mass migration and is an attempt by Prime Minister Narenda Modi to
make India a Hindu stronghold
Mr Modi says it is a humanitarian gesture.In an attempt to stop protests, a ban against large assemblies was rolled out across the country
More than 1,200 people were arrested in New Delhi.Police say all the protesters were released later on Thursday.Avinash Kumar, executive
director of Amnesty India, said: "The Citizenship Amendment Act is a bigoted law that legitimises discrimination on the basis of
religion.Image:One protester symbolically tapes his mouth shut Image:Authorities have taken measures to disrupt protests"The people of the
country have the right to protest against this law peacefully and express their views… [however] governments are clamping down on
protesters by using repressive laws."Roadblocks have been put up while internet and phone lines have been deliberately disrupted by the
authorities in large swathes of the country, including in the capital New Delhi.Image:Police clashed with protesters on ThursdayA curfew was
rolled out in areas of Mangalore, a city in southern Karnataka state
Police in the region fired warning shots, used tear gas and batons against protesters.At least two people died there, according to the Press
Trust of India news agency, while a third person was killed in Lucknow, in Uttar Pradesh state.Meanwhile, India is building a detention
centre capable of containing tens of thousands of people who will be determined to have entered illegally and who are unable to prove they
are entitled to citizenship.
