Protesters march during a protest against new citizenship law in New Delhi, India, Dec. 20, 2019. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)

Massive protests continued Saturday across many Indian states against the controversial new citizenship law as the nationwide death toll in related clashes rises to 19.

Eleven deaths have taken place in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where protesters clashed with police in several districts.

On Thursday one person was killed in Lucknow, which has taken the death toll to 12 in the state. An eight-year-old boy who was trampled in stampede after police resorted to baton charging is among the dead.

Violent protests broke out in the state on Thursday and intensified on Friday across many parts against the new citizenship law that protesters say is discriminatory toward Muslims.

Locals said clashes broke out when police tried to stop people from taking out protest rallies against the law. Police fired tear smoke shells and charged the protesters with baton, who responded by throwing stones.

Authorities have imposed prohibitory orders across the state and suspended mobile internet services at around a dozen districts.

According to Uttar Pradesh Police Chief O P Singh, none of the deaths in the state took place due to police firing.

Protests erupted on Dec. 11, the day India's upper house of parliament passed the law. It started from India's northeastern state of Assam, where protesters resorted to arson. During clashes with the police, five protesters were killed.

From Assam, protests spread to other northeastern states and West Bengal, besides reaching to New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

The massive protests were staged in Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh and Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. Policemen entered the campuses and roughed up students protesting illegally.

On Thursday protests were staged in Karnataka, Mumbai, Chennai, Kerala, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab, West Bengal and Odisha. Two people were killed in Manguluru of Karnataka.

On Saturday thousands of people again took to roads against the law. Reports said massive protests were underway in New Delhi, Guwahati, several cities of Bihar, West Bengal, Chennai and Kerala.

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. However, it has kept out Muslim immigrants from applying for citizenship.

Opposition parties and civil society members in India criticize the law as contrary to secular principles enshrined in India's constitution as it excludes Muslims.

Police officials across India have resorted to baton charging and firing tear smoke shells besides bullets to contain the protests. The authorities have even banned internet and text messaging in a bid to subdue the growing protests.

However, demonstrators demanding revocation of the law take to roads in an undaunted manner, shouting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party, besides clashing with police.

Hundreds of people protesting against the law have been taken into custody across many states.