ISLAMABAD – Tensions remained high in India’s capital Thursday, asthousands of riot police and paramilitaries patrolled streets littered withthe debris from days of sectarian riots that have killed 38 people.

An uneasy calm has descended over the affected northeast fringes of theIndian capital, punctuated by sporadic outbreaks of violence overnight.

The unrest was the latest bout of violence over Prime Minister NarendraModi’s citizenship law, which triggered months of demonstrations thatturned deadly in December.

Sunil Kumar, director of the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, said Thursdayit had registered 34 deaths, adding that “all of them had gunshot injuries”.

The chief doctor at Lok Nayak Hospital said three people had died there.Another victim died at Jag Parvesh Chander Hospital, an official said.

Kishore Singh, medical superintendent at Lok Nayak Hospital, told AFP 10people were still in a serious condition.

Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said families of thosewho died, were injured or had their businesses and homes destroyed duringthe rampage would be compensated.

Food and other support would also be provided to trashed neighbourhoods, headded.

Police said they had detained or arrested more than 500 suspects forquestioning, and had also starting holding “peace committee meetings”across the megacity to “improve inter-community harmony”.

The new fatalities — up from 27 on Wednesday — were all from the violenceon Monday and Tuesday when mobs of Hindus and Muslims fought runningbattles, except for one from Wednesday.

The initial violence erupted late Sunday.

Groups armed with swords and guns set fire to thousands of properties andvehicles.

Homes, shops, two mosques, two schools, a tyre market and a fuel stationwere torched.

More than 200 people were also injured.

According to a list from the GTB hospital seen by AFP, the victims are aroughly even mix of Hindus and Muslims, based on their names.

Delhi police spokesman Mandeep Randhawa told AFP that there was “no majorincident” overnight, while the city’s chief fire officer Atul Garg saidthey received 19 distress calls.

– ‘Gun down traitors’ –

In December at least 30 people were killed, mostly in police action in thenorthern state of Uttar Pradesh, home to a significant Muslim population,after the citizenship law was passed.

Many of India’s 200 million Muslims fear the citizenship law — combinedwith a mooted citizens’ register — will leave them stateless or even sentto detention camps.

They and critics see Modi’s right-wing ruling party, which is linked toonce-banned militaristic Hindu group RSS, as wanting to turn officiallysecular India into a Hindu nation.

His party has denied the allegations but in recent weeks BJP politicians,including in an ugly recent campaign for Delhi elections, have called thedemonstrators “anti-nationals” and “jihadists”.

One, Parvesh Verma, said protestors “could enter houses and rape and killyour sisters”, while another, Anurag Thakur, encouraged a crowd to chant”gun down traitors”.

A call on Sunday by another BJP politician, Kapil Mishra, for “Hindus” toclear a northeastern Delhi sit-in protest is being seen as the spark forthe current unrest.

On Wednesday a Delhi High Court judge, Justice S. Muralidhar, sharplycriticised the police and called on them to investigate BJP politicians forinciting violence.

Muralidhar was transferred to another state court in a late-night order,prompting a social media storm. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad insistedit was a “routine transfer”.

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet called on India’s political leaders to”prevent violence”, while the Organisation of the Islamic Conference saidit “condemns the recent and alarming violence against Muslims in India”.

On Wednesday the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, whichadvises Washington but does not set policy, voiced “grave concern” aboutthe violence as President Donald Trump was visiting.

Trump, asked at a news conference in the capital about the violence, saidthe issue was “up to India” and praised Modi’s “incredible” statements onreligious freedom. – APP / AFP