Police on Sunday struggled to bring an end to days of deadly protests amid rising tensions in India's ethnically diverse northeast. The violence stems from a controversial citizenship bill that was passed on Wednesday.

In Assam state's biggest city, Guwahati, around 5,000 people took to the streets Sunday in a fresh demonstration, singing, chanting and carrying banners reading "long live Assam." Security was high, with police and soldiers patrolling the streets in vehicles.

The Sunday protest came as officials confirmed that six people had died in the violence in Assam state so far, according to AFP news agency, citing officials. Police shot and killed four protesters, while another person was killed after the shop he was sleeping in was set on fire. One person died after being beaten up during a protest.

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Oil and gas production in Assam state was hit hard by curfews, but the government decided to relax these on Sunday and some shops reopened.

In West Bengal state, protests stretched into a third day on Sunday. Demonstrators set fire to tires, staged sit-ins on highways and railway tracks, and torched trains and buses. Riot police were brought in to disperse protesters, and train services were suspended in some parts of the east.

West Bengal's chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, decided to suspend internet services in several districts. An internet ban was also set to continue in Assam until Monday.

Why are the protests happening?

The Indian parliament passed a bill on Wednesday that would make it easier for minority religious groups from neighboring Muslim states to apply for citizenship. Muslims themselves would be excluded from the bill — a controversial decision by a Hindu-nationalist government in a nation that has long had simmering disputes between Hindus and Muslims.

How have politicians reacted?

Speaking Sunday at a rally in the eastern Jharkhand state, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah called for calm and said, "Culture, language, social identity and political rights of our brothers and sisters from northeast will remain intact," the Indian media outlet News18 reported.

However, several rights groups and an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Asom Gana Parishad, which initially supported the bill, say they plan to challenge the law in the Supreme Court.

Partition of India: The way forward Birth of two nations In 1947, British India was divided into two countries - India and Pakistan. Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah and his All-India Muslim League party had first demanded autonomy for Muslim-majority areas in the undivided India, and only later a separate country for Muslims. Jinnah believed that Hindus and Muslims could not continue to live together, as they were distinctly different "nations."

Partition of India: The way forward The line of blood The partition of British India was extremely violent. Following the birth of India and Pakistan, violent communal riots began in many western areas, mostly in Punjab. Historians say that more than a million people died in clashes, and millions more migrated from Indian territory to Pakistan and from the Pakistani side to India.

Partition of India: The way forward The 1948 war India and Pakistan clashed over Kashmir soon after their independence. The Muslim-majority Kashmir region was ruled by a Hindu leader, but Jinnah wanted it to be part of Pakistani territory. Indian and Pakistani troops fought in Kashmir in 1948, with India taking control of most part of the valley, while Pakistan occupied a smaller area. India and Pakistan continue to clash over Kashmir.

Partition of India: The way forward Like US and Canada? Liberal historians say that Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi wanted cordial ties between newly independent states. Jinnah, for instance, believed that ties between India and Pakistan should be similar to those between the US and Canada. But after his death in 1948, his successors followed a collision course with New Delhi.

Partition of India: The way forward The 'other' Indian and Pakistani governments present very different accounts of the partition. While India emphasizes the Indian National Congress' freedom movement against British rulers - with Gandhi as its main architect - Pakistani textbooks focus on a "struggle" against both British and Hindu "oppression." State propaganda in both countries paints each other as an "enemy" that cannot be trusted.

Partition of India: The way forward Worsening ties Diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan have remained acrimonious for the past seven decades. The issue of Islamist terrorism has marred relations in the last few years, with New Delhi accusing Islamabad of backing Islamist jihadists to wage a war in India-administered Kashmir. India also blames Pakistan-based groups for launching terror attacks on Indian soil. Islamabad denies these claims.

Partition of India: The way forward The way forward Many young people in both India and Pakistan are urging their governments to improve bilateral ties. Islamabad-based documentary filmmaker Wajahat Malik believes the best way for India and Pakistan to develop a closer relationship is through more interaction between their peoples. "Trade and tourism are the way forward for us. When people come together, the states will follow suit," Malik told DW. Author: Shamil Shams



kmm/cmb (AFP/AP)

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