NEW DELHI – Thousands of angry protesters took to the streets to tellIndia’s leader he was unwelcome in Kolkata on Saturday, in the latest rallyagainst a citizenship lawlinkthatcritics say discriminates against Muslims.
Widespread street demonstrations, and occasionally deadly clashes, havegripped the Hindu-majority nation since the law was approved by parliamentlast month.
Police said nearly 30,000 protesters took to the streets of Kolkata todenounce Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, with many linking hands toform human chains that spanned miles through the streets of the easternmegacity.[image: Protesters hold placards and shout slogans against India PMNarendra Modi as they participate in a protest in Kolkata. — AFP]
“What we are fighting for is the future of India,” Surita Roy, a woman whojoined the rally, told *AFP*.
A crowd mobbed the city’s airport and chanted “We are against fascism” asthe Indian leader’s plane touched down before he transferred to a militaryhelicopter that carried him to the house of West Bengal state leader MamataBanerjee — a vocal critic of Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist government.
Police stopped protesters from following Modi to the chief minister’shouse, but Banerjee told journalists after their meeting that she had askedhim to repeal the law “for the larger interests of the country” and thenjoined the street protests herself.
Critics say the law is a precursor to a national register of citizens thatmany among India’s 200 million Muslims — around 15 per cent of thecountry’s population — fear will leave them stateless. Many poor Indians donot have documents to prove their nationality.
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Modi has in turn accused his political opponents of “misleading” and“inciting” people against his Hindu nationalist government.
His party has launched a door-to-door campaign in a bid to dispel“misinformation” about the law, which they insist is not discriminatory.
At least 27 people, mostly Muslims, have been killed during clashes withpolice after defying restrictions on demonstrations in several states ofthe country. -APP/AFP
But hundreds of thousands of protesters have continued to meet publicacross the country and demand a rollback of the law.
