Japanese PM Abe cancels India visit amid Assam unrest

People stand next to vehicles that were set ablaze by demonstrators during a protest on Thursday, after the parliament passed a Citizenship Amendment Bill, in Guwahati, India on Dec. 13. REUTERS/ANUWAR HAZARIKA

NEW DELHI – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe canceled a visit to India, the Indian foreign ministry said on Friday, amid tensions in a northeast region where he was due to hold summit talks with counterpart Narendra Modi.

Two people were killed in Assam state on Thursday in a protest against new citizenship rules signed into law on Thursday.

The new law lays out a path of Indian citizenship for six minority religious groups from neighboring Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, which protesters in Assam said would convert thousands of illegal immigrants into legal residents.

Modi had planned to host Abe in Assam beginning Sunday as part of a campaign to move high-profile diplomatic events outside Delhi to showcase India’s diversity.(Reuters)

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