NEW DELHI – Indian police baton-charged protesters Sunday to stop themreaching Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cavalcade as nationwide protestsagainst a bitterly disputed citizenship law entered a second month.
Tens of thousands staged protests through the night in the eastern city ofKolkata to denounce Modi’s weekend visit to the capital of West Bengalstate, whose local rulers have strongly opposed the legislation.
Police said they were forced to act after protesters tried to storm pastbarricades to stop Modi’s vehicle outside a stadium, where the leader againdefended the law and insisted the demonstrators were “misguided”.
Nearly 2,000 protesters gathered outside chanting “Fascist Modi, Go Back”before the showdown between demonstrators and police. More than 100protesters were detained, a police official said.
Protesters have burned effigies of the prime minister during his visit andbrandished black flags, which is considered an insulting gesture in Indiansociety.
“The government can’t suppress our voice. We are not afraid. We aredetermined to fight for our rights,” Samit Nandi, one of the protesters,told AFP. “We will continue our protests until Modi leaves our city.”
West Bengal has become a political battlefield between Modi’s right-wingBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and regional powerhouse Mamata Banerjee, whoseTrinamool Congress party leads the state.
Banerjee is among state leaders nationwide who have said they will notimplement the Citizenship Amendment Act, which excludes Muslims from a listof ethnic minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who areallowed to seek Indian nationality.
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Opponents say the government has created a religious test for citizenshipin the secular country.
Many among India’s 200 million Muslims fear the law is a precursor to anational register of citizens that could leave them stateless in thecountry of 1.3 billion. Many poor Indians do not have documents to provetheir nationality.
“CAA is not about taking away citizenship, it is about giving citizenship,”Modi told supporters.
He has accused political opponents of “misleading” and “inciting” peopleagainst his government.
Widespread demonstrations have rocked the Hindu-majority nation since thelaw was approved by parliament last month.
At least 27 people, mostly Muslims, have been killed with police accused ofusing disproportionate force in several states. -APP/AFP
