Delhi riots: Canada warns citizens to exercise 'high degree of caution' while traveling to India

Canada on Friday issued a travel advisory for India due to the deteriorating security situation in the Hindu-majority country following a series of anti-Muslim riots that have disrupted daily life in the capital of New Delhi and left at least 39 dead.

“Demonstrations against new citizenship legislation are taking place in parts of the country,” the advisory stated. “In late February 2020, inter-communal violence resulted in multiple casualties in northeast Delhi.”

Canadian citizens have also been advised to avoid travelling to border areas in India, including the regions of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland bordering Bangladesh and Myanmar. 

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In addition, the North American country warned against travel to Indian occupied Kashmir, and border areas with Pakistan—including the regions of Gujarat, Punjab, and Rajasthan for any reason due to the threat of violence due to on-going conflict.

On top of these warnings, Canadians have also been asked to avoid any non-essential travel to Northeastern India, including the areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland.

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Violence hit parts of Delhi earlier this week as gangs roamed streets littered with the debris of days of sectarian riots that have killed 39 people, police said Thursday. Thousands of riot police and paramilitaries patrolled the affected northeast fringes of the Indian capital.

The unrest is the latest bout of violence over a new citizenship law championed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which triggered months of demonstrations that turned deadly in December. The law is discriminatory toward the Muslim minority of the country, experts say.