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The death toll in the communal violence in the Indian capital city rose to 22, while over 200 people were injured, officials said Wednesday.
"The death toll at this hospital so far is 22 and we have seen over 200 patients who were injured," Dr Sunil Kumar, medical director of Guru Teg Bahadur hospital told media. "The condition of some of the injured is serious but majority of them are stable."
The dead include a policeman and a junior-level official of Intelligence Bureau.
Authorities have deployed police and paramilitary in the affected areas. Curfew was imposed at some places and police jeeps were making announcements on loudspeakers urging people to stay indoors.
Eyewitnesses said that burnt merchandise and property were strewn on roads and alleys in the neighbourhoods affected by the violence.
India's main opposition Congress party has demanded the resignation of country's Home Minister Amit Shah and blamed him for the violence.
"The centre (federal government) and the union (federal) home minister is responsible for the present situation in Delhi. The union home minister should resign," Sonia Gandhi, the Congress party president said in a press conference.
After three days of unprecedented violence, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed for "peace and brotherhood", and said he has held an extensive review of the situation in various parts of the national capital.
"I appeal to my sisters and brothers of Delhi to maintain peace and brotherhood at all times," Modi tweeted, in his first reaction to the violence in capital city.
Meanwhile, India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited areas affected by the violence and met top police officials and people.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday morning said curfew should be imposed and army called in to contain the violence. According to Kejriwal police were unable to control the situation
Kejriwal's party alleged the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was responsible for the violence.
Unrelenting communal violence broke out in the northeastern part of the city following which mobs armed with sticks and rods resorted to arson, looting and vandalism.
Reports said many people are leaving their homes in the affected areas and taking shelter in other safer locations.
The clashes broke out between pro- and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) groups in the northeastern part of the city on Sunday and took an ugly turn on Monday and Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Delhi high court Wednesday pulled up police and directed them to register cases over alleged hate speeches.
Protests against the controversial new citizenship law were triggered on Dec. 11 last year, the day India's upper house of parliament passed the law. Since then there has been no let-up in the protests.
The law aims at granting citizenship to illegal immigrants belonging to six religions - Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Parsi and Christianity - from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
So far, the violence against the law has killed over 50 people across India.
(by Peerzada Arshad Hamid)
