7 killed, 150 injured: Indian riots overshadow Trump visit

At least seven people have been killed and around 150 injured in clashes, according to authorities, in riots sparked by a controversial Indian immigration law.

The violence comes during U.S. President Donald Trump's first official visit to India.

Emer McCarthy reports.

At least seven people were killed in clashes over India's new citizenship law in New Delhi on Monday (February 24), a police official has said.

Charred vehicles and debris littered the streets in the capital's northeast the day after, where some 150 people were also injured, in the deadliest riots since protests erupted more than two months ago.

A constable from Delhi police was among the dead.

The clashes erupted just miles away from where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met later for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Monday (February 24) Trump praised India as a tolerant country while addressing a crowd of more than 100,000 people during his two-day visit.

Schools in the northeast of the city were shut on Tuesday (February 25) and at least five metro stations in the city were closed.

The Citizenship Amendment Act has sparked accusations that Modi and his Hindu nationalist BJP party are undermining India's secular traditions.

The law makes it easier for non-Muslims from three neighboring countries to gain Indian citizenship.

The BJP denies any bias against India's Muslim minority.

With security forces patrolling the streets on Tuesday, New Delhi's chief minister called for the situation to be resolved peacefully.