New Delhi: According to a report in Reuters, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his council of ministers on Saturday to discuss security measures to end violent protests against a citizenship law, government sources said, in one of biggest crises yet for his government.

At least 14 people have been killed in clashes between police and protesters since the Parliament passed the law on December 11, with critics saying it discriminates against Muslims and undermines India’s secular constitution.


The backlash is the strongest show of dissent against Modi’s government since he was first elected in 2014.

Demonstrations continued on Saturday despite curfews and a draconian regulation to shut down protests.

India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, has seen the worst violence with ten people killed so far and several more in critical conditions in hospital.

In other parts of India, anger with the law stems from it being seen as discriminating against Muslims, and as it makes religion a criterion for citizenship in a country that has taken pride in its secular constitution.

Political opposition against the law has swelled with state leaders from regional parties vowing to prevent its implementation in their states.

The government has said there is no chance the law will be repealed.