West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday hit the streets in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on the second consecutive day and took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his comment that those creating violence can be “identified by their clothes”.
“Can you comment on basis of their dress whether those are good or bad [dress]; can you make such a comment about anybody’s dress…can you make such a comment looking at my saree whether it is good or bad… Or is it that when you see someone wearing a cap, you start thinking it is their dress…” she said in a reference to the Prime Minister's remarks made at a public rally in Jharkhand.
During the protest rally in South Kolkata, she was accompanied by actor-turned-Trinamool Congress MPs Mimi Chakraborty and Nusrat Jahan, film director Gautam Ghosh and actor Soham. Pointing at the people who were present at the stage at the start of the rally, she asked the crowd if they can be branded by their dress.
“Our slogan is ‘No CAB, No NRC’ in Bengal,” she said. She described the widespread violence related to the protests against CAA in the State as a “couple of small incidents”.
Ms Banerjee said the railways cancelled a number of trains owing to “small incidents” and it was not her job to protect railways.
A press statement from Eastern Railway said that in connection with “law & order problem in the jurisdiction of North East Frontier Railway and in New Farakka – Azimganj & Krishnanagar – Lalgola Sections of Eastern Railway”, about 19 trains have been cancelled. Senior railway officials said that other than damage to railway property, railway tracks have been uprooted and it would take a few days to lay them for the services to resume.
Police injured
An IPS personnel and two other police personnel were injured during an anti-CAA procession in Sankrail of West Bengal’s Howrah district on Tuesday. The police personnel were trying to disperse a mob of protesters demonstrating against the new citizenship law in Purba Para of South Sankrail when they suffered injuries in a crude bomb explosion.
Deputy Commissioner of Howrah Commissionerate Ajit Singh Yadav was among the injured.
BJP rallies
State BJP president Dilip Ghosh said, “Is it small incident? How big did she want the violence to become?” Public property worth hundreds of crores of rupees had been destroyed because the police did not act, he alleged. “The Calcutta High Court is likely to hear a public interest litigation petition on the damage to public property and how can Ms Banerjee make a statement that CAA will not be applicable in the State on Wednesday?”
During the day, BJP workers brought out rallies in the city in support of the CAA. Rallies were held by BJP leader Raju Banerjee in Howrah and Anupam Hazra in south Kolkata’s Behala area.
While violent protests in the State eased, tension prevailed in Basirhat area of North 24 Paraganas, where protesters took to the streets and raised slogans against the Centre. Suburban rail services in South 24 Paraganas were also affected due to some disruptions.
The police, in a tweet, said that 354 protesters have been arrested for violence over the past few days. Among those arrested was Zameerul Hassan, head of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen in the State. Internet services remain suspended in certain parts of Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Howrah, and parts of North and South 24 Paraganas.
