United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is very saddened by the reports of casualties following the protests in Delhi, his spokesperson said. (File)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is saddened by the reports of casualties following the protests in Delhi and calls for maximum restraint, his spokesperson said at a daily press briefing Wednesday.

“As he has done in similar circumstances, he calls for maximum restraint and for violence to be avoided,” Secretary-General Guterres’ spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.

At least 32 people have been killed and 250 injured due to communal violence over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in northeast Delhi. Read in Malayalam

Breaking his silence on the violence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted Tuesday that he “had an extensive review on the situation prevailing in various parts of Delhi” while National Security Advisor Ajit Doval stepped in to restore normalcy in the national capital and walked the streets of riot-hit areas and assured residents of safety.

This was the UN chief’s second comment on the violence. The previous day, he said he was closely following the situation in New Delhi and stressed that demonstrators should be allowed to protest peacefully.

“I think it’s very important that demonstrators be allowed to demonstrate peacefully and that security forces show restraint. This is the SG’s constant position,” the spokesperson had said.