Protesters condemn Indian prime minister’s visit to Kolkata as citizenship law demos rage

Police said nearly 30,000 protesters took to the streets of Kolkata to denounce Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit

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Members and activists of different leftist organisations and university students protest against recently implemented citizenship law and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, in Kolkata. Photo: AP Photo

Published: 3:19am, 12 Jan 2020Updated: 3:19am, 12 Jan 2020

Thousands of angry protesters took to the streets to tell India’s leader he was unwelcome in Kolkata on Saturday, in the latest rally against a citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslims.

Widespread street demonstrations, and occasionally deadly clashes, have gripped the Hindu-majority nation since the law was approved by parliament last month.

Police said nearly 30,000 protesters took to the streets of Kolkata to denounce Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, with many linking hands to form human chains that spanned miles through the streets of the eastern megacity.

“What we are fighting for is the future of India,” Surita Roy, a woman who joined the rally, told AFP.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during the unveiling of a museum at the old currency building in Kolkata. EPA-EFE

A crowd mobbed the city’s airport and chanted “We are against fascism” as the Indian leader’s plane touched down before he transferred to a military helicopter that carried him to the house of West Bengal state leader Mamata Banerjee – a vocal critic of Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist government.