Religious riots escalate in India

At least 24 people died in three days of fighting between Hindu and Muslim groups in New Delhi. By Wednesday, about 190 people had sustained injuries. Many Muslims fled their homes and shops as Hindu mobs armed with iron rods and sticks set fires and vandalized property. The Delhi region’s chief minister called for the army to help control the situation.

Why are the protesters angry? Violence surged during U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to India earlier this week. He flew out of New Delhi on Tuesday after a two-day visit. Since December, demonstrators have marched against a law that offers Indian citizenship to Christians, Hindus, and other migrants who fled religious persecution, but not Muslims. Trump has shown support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist, but has not taken a position on the citizenship law. He told reporters he heard about the violence but did not discuss it with Modi: “I want to leave that to India, and hopefully they’re going to make the right decision for the people.”

Dig deeper: Read my World Tour report on the protests against Modi’s Hindu nationalist ruling party.