Amid protests, India’s Modi insists citizenship law is not anti-Muslim

Amid a series of protests against a new citizenship law in India that favors non-Muslims, President Narendra Modi on Sunday denied the measure is discriminatory, according to Reuters.

“The law does not impact 1.3 billion Indians, and I must assure Muslim citizens of India that this law will not change anything for them,” Modi said at a rally for his political party, the news service reported. “We have never asked anyone if they go to a temple or a mosque when it comes to implementing welfare schemes.”

The law, which fast-tracks the citizenship processes for citizens of neighboring countries if they are Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain or Parsee, has sparked protests throughout India.

While the Modi administration has insisted the law is meant to prioritize persecuted religious minorities in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, it comes as other moves have raised alarm among India’s 200 million Muslims, including removing Muslim rulers from state-issued textbooks.

Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party intends to hold more than 200 events in defense of the law amid the unrest, according to Reuters.

Thus far, at least 21 people have reportedly died amid clashes between police and protesters, but organizers still planned new demonstrations on Sunday in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh as well as New Delhi. Uttar Pradesh, in particular, has been ground zero for much of the violence and has seen the largest number of deaths. Authorities in the state have blocked Internet and mobile messaging.

Police have arrested more than 1,500 protesters across India and detained and released another 4,000, according to Reuters. Police have been criticized for use of force, which has ranged from tear gas to storming university campuses.