MUMBAI: Indian police arrested 14 people in connection with violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims during a Hindu religious procession in the country’s capital, New Delhi, police said in a tweet on Sunday.
Six police officers and several others were injured on Saturday during scuffles that marred the procession at a festival in Jahangirpuri, a suburban section of New Delhi.
“Remaining rioters are being identified for strict legal action,” the police said.
There were no reported deaths from the incident.
In recent weeks, religious clashes have broken out between the majority Hindu and minority Muslim communities during religious processions in several parts of the country.
The rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has emboldened hard-line religious groups in recent years to take up causes that they say defend the Hindu faith, although his party has denied any rise in communal tensions during Modi’s reign.
Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who is part of Modi’s government, said in an interview published on Sunday that intolerance among religious communities was not worsening, while he played down recent incidents.
“Fringe elements, who are unable to digest the peace and prosperity in the country, try to defame India’s inclusive culture and commitment,” he told The Economic Times newspaper.
He added that it was not the government’s job to dictate dietary practices to the people, after university students in New Delhi recently clashed on campus over the serving of non-vegetarian food in the canteen during a week that Hindus consider auspicious.
“Every citizen has freedom in the country to eat food of their choice,” Naqvi said.
He also dismissed concerns about a controversy earlier this month over Muslim students wearing the hijab head-scarf to school in the southern state of Karnataka, home to the country’s tech-sector capital Bengaluru.
“There is no ban on hijab in India. One can wear hijab in markets and other places,” he said.
“But every college or institution has a dress code, discipline and decorum. We will have to accept this. If you do not like it, you can choose a different institution.”
Indian police arrest 14 after communal clashes in New Delhi
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Indian police arrest 14 after communal clashes in New Delhi
- Opposition politicians have accused Modi’s right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party of stoking tensions between majority Hindus and Muslims in states that it rules
Indonesia sets rules limiting use of AI for schoolchildren
- Indonesian children spend about 7.5 hours daily on tablets, smartphones
- Gen Zs make up the majority of AI users in the country of 280m people
JAKARTA: The Indonesian government introduced on Thursday a new policy regulating the use of digital technology in education, limiting access to artificial intelligence for students.
Generation Alphas and Gen Zs make up almost half of Indonesia’s online population, which reached nearly 230 million people in 2025, according to a survey conducted by the Association of Indonesian Internet Service Providers.
As Indonesian children clock around 7.5 hours of daily screen time, the joint ministerial decree seeks to boost the benefits of digital technology and AI in formal and informal educational institutions, while also protecting the youth from risks in digital spaces.
“There are a lot of factors but the number of teenagers with mental health issues are high and continue to increase, and one of the suspected triggers — that have been proven academically — is the uncontrolled, unmitigated use of digital technology,” said Pratikno, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs.
“The effects on education are also concerning, such as how it weakens brain activity due to dependence on digital technology tools and reduces critical thinking and cognitive and reflective abilities. This is what we have to regulate.”
Among Indonesia’s 280 million population, around a quarter of internet users are already using AI, with Gen Zs making up about 43 percent of that segment.
The joint decree, which Pratikno described as “comprehensive” and encompasses early childhood education to higher education, was signed in Jakarta by seven ministers, including Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto and Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti.
“This decree seeks to ensure that our children are not controlled by technology but become the masters of technology for good, that is our goal. (It prioritizes) digital wellness, (for tech to be used) wisely and intelligently,” Pratikno said.
The policy is important to support young Indonesians, many of whom are internet users from adolescence, said Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid, who also signed the ministerial decree.
“Indonesia has a significant number of children using the internet. Therefore, we must ensure that they are not only a target market for the technology industry, but also able to utilize technology according to their readiness,” she said.
“Every kind of technological advance has to consider the readiness of its users, especially children.”
