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9News (17 December 2019)

Australians travelling to India have been urged to exercise a high degree of caution as violent protests break out across parts of the country.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) have issued an alert for India overall as locals respond to the country's new Citizenship Amendment Act.

The new law could give Indian citizenship to immigrants from three neighbouring countries - but not if they are Muslim.

DFAT says demonstrations against the new Citizenship Amendment Act have taken place in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana, Delhi NCR, including reports of violence.

The unrest turned deadly last week when two people died in Guwahati, the capital of Assam and the state's most important city.

According to Dr Ramen Talukdar, the superintendent of Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, they were brought to a hospital with bullet wounds. Another 26 were injured, though seven have been discharged, he added.

DFAT has since advised against travelling to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the India-Pakistan border. This excludes the Atari crossing.

Read more at: https://www.9news.com.au/national/india-politics-australians-warned-against-travelling-to-india-amid-citizenship-amendment-act-protest/910a5a36-c33d-4ddf-9a64-ee93e01807ec