Anti-CAA protests planned in Kolkata as Modi arrives; Owaisi leads Hyderabad rally

Opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and a proposed nationwide NRC was set to grow louder on Saturday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi arriving in Kolkata at the start of a two-day trip to West Bengal. The Congress, the Left Front and other groups lined up a series of rallies across the state.

Kolkata

• Several organisations, including some linked to the Left parties, said they would protest against Modi and show him black flags. The CPI(M) and the Congress did not reveal timings but said protests would be held across the city.
• Some Muslim organisations called a rally at around 1 pm on Rani Rashmoni Road, close to Raj Bhawan, where Modi was to stay as per protocol.
• The Trinamool Congress decided to form human chains in parts of south Kolkata against the CAA and NRC.
• Citing security concerns, authorities brought forward Modi’s arrival by an hour. Instead of landing at 5 pm and driving to the Old Currency Building, he was now to land at 4 pm aboard an Indian Air Force aircraft and take a helicopter to the Race Course. The state administration said it had put “foolproof” security in place.

Congress strategy and the notification

In New Delhi, Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Priyanka Gandhi were expected to discuss the CAA, NRC and campus violence, including at JNU, at the party’s Akbar Road headquarters, with the Congress Working Committee likely to adopt a resolution on future plans. The Mumbai Congress said it would start a public outreach drive on what it called flaws in the CAA, NRC and National Population Register.

The Union Home Ministry issued a gazette notification fixing January 10, 2020, as the date the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (47 of 2019) would come into force. Under the Act, refugees who are not Muslim and came from Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan are to be given citizenship.

Hyderabad

On Friday, thousands marched with the national flag in a ‘Tiranga Rally’ led by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and organised by the United Muslim Action Committee. Shops near Charminar closed in support. The march, of about three km, set off from Mir Alam Eidgah towards Shastripuram at around 1 pm, with police managing traffic in the old city. Owaisi claimed the turnout showed that Hyderabad had rejected the CAA, and asked the crowd whether they would show documents such as Aadhaar if officials demanded them.

Originally published on 11 January 2020. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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