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In India, protests against the new citizenship law that erupted across the country have been severely repressed. The police are accused of violence against the local population, in particular against the Muslim community.
From our correspondent in New Delhi , Antoine Guinard
The protests were notably severely repressed in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. Clashes with the police resulted in the death of 18 demonstrators , according to a latest report.
The hashtag #UPpolice, to designate the police of Uttar Pradesh, floods the social networks in India these last days. Articles, videos, photos and tweets denounce the police repression in this state, where violent demonstrations against the new citizenship law have been taking place for 10 days.
Government points to violence of demonstrators
More than a dozen protesters were reportedly killed by police bullets, according to Indian media. The police force for their part claim to have made only one victim, in the locality of Bijnor, and also claim to have been shot at by many demonstrators.
Residents of Bijnor say they were subjected to violent raids after the protests. Several minors also said they had been tortured while in police custody in recent days. Uttar Pradesh police this week printed posters, posted on the streets of several cities in the state and posted on social media, showing photos of protesters suspected of the violence. Bonuses have even been announced in some cases, encouraging the population to denounce them.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Hindu nationalist party is also in power in Uttar Pradesh, congratulated the police and pointed to the violence of the demonstrators.