"Can See Who's Violent By Their Clothes": PM On Citizenship Act Protests

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today congratulated the people of Assam for "keeping away from violence" amid widespread protests against the citizenship law in the northeast. "You can easily make out who is spreading violence by the clothes they wear," he said.

Singling out the Congress, he said the party, in a first, was doing what Pakistan did on the government's move on ending Article 370 or after the Supreme Court verdict on Ram Janmabhoomi -- organising protests outside Indian embassies abroad.

"I congratulate our brothers and sisters in Assam for staying away from those who spread violence... they are making their points in a peaceful way," he said at an election rally in Jharkhand's Dumka. "The Congress and its supporters are spreading fire. When they are not heard, they spread arson," he said.

Curfew has been in place in parts of the northeast -- especially in Meghalaya and Nagaland -- where protests are on against the new law that facilitates Indian citizenship to religious minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who have settled here by 2014.

Violent protests have also taken place in Delhi and parts of Bengal.

The police claimed that the protests in Assam were brought under control by Friday evening. But two men injured during Friday's protests, died today,  Earlier, three persons lost their lives in the protests in Assam, where many are concerned that the new law can be used to provide citizenship to migrants from Bangladesh.

Bengal witnessed its third straight day of protest today.

Yesterday, six empty trains were set on fire in Murshidabad district and around 15 buses were torched in Howrah, near state capital Kolkata. Criticised for failing to control the violence, Mamata Banerjee's government has suspended  internet in parts of the state.

The Congress, which also bitterly criticised the government over the new law, held a "Save India" rally in Delhi yesterday where they highlighted what they called the failures of the government over the last six years.