‘A weak economy, but Hindu Muslim, Hindu Muslim’: Chetan Bhagat on Delhi riots

At the centre of tis unrest is the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA passed by Parliament in December last year.

Author Chetan Bhagat has expressed disappointment over the violence which has gripped Delhi, and led to the deaths of 38 people.

Bhagat said there are other pressing issues to be taken care of - like coronavirus, the state of economy etc.

"World markets collapse as Corona hits. Global demand will fall. India already suffering a weak economy will find it v difficult to recover. Jobs growth all set to suffer. Immediate attention needed. But hey, Hindu Muslim Hindu Muslim," the author said on Twitter. 

The violence in Delhi first broke out on Sunday, but escalated and turned communal on Monday when the groups supporting and against the new citizenship law clashed in Jafrabad, Maujpur, Chand Bagh and other areas of Northeast Delhi.

Shops and vehicles were torched, policemen and locals attacked and property damaged. The groups roamed on the streets with swords and pistols, turning the areas into a war zone.

At the centre of tis unrest is the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA passed by Parliament in December, 2019, which seeks to grant citizenship to persecuted minorities from three neighbouring countries: Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Critics and Opposition parties say that the new law seeks to divide the country on religious lines by leaving out Muslims.

But the government maintains that it is India's duty to give citizenship to persecuted minorities, and have rejected the demands of scrapping the law. Many leaders of teh ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have accused the Opposition parties of making inflammatory statements on the law and stoking fears among the minorities in the country.

In the violence in pockets of Delhi, more than 500 vehicles, including two-wheelers, were burnt between Monday and Thursday morning, according to the estimates by the Delhi Fire Service (DFS).

DFS data accessed by HT shows that Tuesday was the worst day of the riots and alone witnessed 89 incidents of arson. While Wednesday saw 57 incidents of arson, 23 took place on Monday. Fourteen incidents of arson also took place between midnight and 8am on Thursday, the data shows.