The Indian government has reacted with defiance to widespread protests against a new citizenship law.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a rally on Tuesday the protests were being stirred up by his rivals.

The law offers citizenship to non-Muslims from three nearby countries.

While the government says the aim is to protect people from persecution, critics say it is discriminatory and part of a “Hindu nationalist” agenda to marginalise India’s Muslim minority.

Others – particularly in border states – fear being “overrun” by new arrivals from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

There have been demonstrations in cities across India and the capital Delhi has seen massive protest over the past days after a student protest on Sunday turned violent and left dozens injured.

Images from the city’s Seelampur area, which has a strong Muslim population, showed stone-throwing crowds confronting police officers on Tuesday.

Police retaliated with tear gas and batons.

“Both my government and I are firm like a rock that we will not budge or go back on the citizenship protests,” Home Minister Amit Shah told Indian media.

Opponents say the law is exclusionary and violates the secular principles enshrined in the constitution and that faith cannot be made a condition of citizenship.

The prime minister’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) though argues it is only trying to give sanctuary to people fleeing religious persecution.

Earlier this week, Mr Modi had attempted to calm tensions in a series of tweets saying “this is the time to maintain peace, unity and brotherhood”.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Supreme Court refused to hear a petition against the police action inside Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University, where on Sunday they allegedly attacked students inside campus premises.

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