Death Toll in Delhi Reaches 25, People Flee Violence-Hit Areas

At least 25 people have been killed in India’s capital Delhi as a result of extremely violent religious clashes between Hindus and Muslims, according to a health official cited Wednesday by local media Asian News International.

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Many people living in mixed neighborhoods, both Hindus and Muslims, have started moving out in the wake of the violence, which is the worst the capital has experienced in decades.

The death toll was revealed by the medical superintendent of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, where many of the victims were transported for treatment. Patients on stretchers were cramming the emergency room Wednesday, while others continued to pour into the hospital, and mourners wailed outside the morgue.

More than 200 people were wounded in the last three days of violence in Muslim populated areas of northeast Dehli. Muslims accused police of allowing the clashes and even partaking in the killing of people and damaging mosques and properties.

Far-right India's Hindu Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been criticized for not acting and just letting things happen. He finally came out of his silence Wednesday and said that “peace and harmony are central to our ethos.”

Violence in the capital erupted four days ago after Muslims who were protesting against a discriminatory new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) were attacked by Hindus extremists.

The CAA has been sparking massive protests across the country, as hundreds of thousands of Indians have taken to the streets demanding Modi to revoke the legislation. 

It was passed on Dec. 11 and provides non-Muslim minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who moved to the country before 2015 a pathway to citizenship. 

However, critics and opposition parties say the law, which excludes Muslims, is unconstitutional as it bases citizenship on people’s religion and will marginalize India’s 200 million Muslim citizens.