By Newley Purnell and Krishna Pokharel 

NEW DELHI--Indian telecommunications operators suspended mobile services in parts of the capital on government orders as authorities tried to thwart protests against a new citizenship law favoring non-Muslim immigrants.

Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Vodafone Idea Ltd., two of India's three largest carriers by subscribers, told customers Thursday on Twitter that they were complying with government instructions to suspend voice, text messaging and mobile internet services in some areas of New Delhi.

Representatives of the carriers declined to comment.

A spokeswoman for India's Ministry of Home Affairs couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Authorities banned large gatherings in cities across India on Thursday, including parts of the capital, ahead of planned nationwide protests by students and civil-society groups demanding the Citizenship Amendment Act be repealed.

Prime Minister Modi's government last week pushed through the bill, which created a simplified pathway to citizenship for immigrants of all the major religions of South Asia, except Islam. Protests in Muslim-dominated parts of New Delhi have broken out in recent days.

In India's technology hub of Bangalore, police detained civic leaders Thursday, including noted historian Ramchandra Guha, who participated in a banned demonstration against the law.

In the capital, a large crowd of protesters gathered around the city's iconic Red Fort area, despite a police ban on such assemblies. Several subway stations around the area were shut down to make it harder for the protesters to reach the site.

Authorities in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, also banned large gatherings.

Internet services have also been disrupted in recent days in the Northeastern state of Assam, which has seen protests related to the legislation. Parts of the state of Jammu and Kashmir have had internet services suspended since early August, when the government removed the special autonomous status the only Muslim-majority state in India had enjoyed.

Write to Newley Purnell at newley.purnell@wsj.com and Krishna Pokharel at krishna.pokharel@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 19, 2019 04:24 ET (09:24 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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