Kolkata police remove Congress, Left protesters from PM Modi’s event venue

Protesters belonging to the Congress’ youth wing and various Leftwing student organisations tried to stage a demonstration in front of Netaji Indoor Stadium by showing black flags and placards .

Published on: Jan 12, 2020, 13:43:16 IST

Hindustan Times, Kolkata | By HT Correspondent

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Protesters belonging to the Left parties and the Congress scuffled with the police outside Netaji Indoor Stadium, the venue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s final programme in the state during his two-day visit, minutes before his arrival.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was addressing the at the Netaji indoor stadium to mark the 150th anniversary of the Kolkata Port Trust when protesters tried to gather outside the venue. (Samir Jana/HT Photo)

Around 11 pm, a group of protesters belonging to the Congress’ youth wing and various Leftwing student organisations tried to stage a demonstration in front of Netaji Indoor Stadium by showing black flags and placards with “Modi Go Back” written on them. A rash of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has rocked Kolkata since Saturday when the PM arrived on a two-day visit.

However, the police promptly removed them and even detained some of the protesters. The protesters were shouting “Modi go back” and “Shame on Mamata for secret understanding with Modi”.

State Congress president Somen Mitra and Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member Md Salim were seen leading protests at Esplanade, barely a few hundred metres away from the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

During the time Modi was at Netaji Indoor Stadium, where he was addressing a gathering on Kolkata Port Trust’s 150th anniversary, protesters made several attempts to reach near the venue but were stopped by the police.

After Modi left the venue, a group of protesters set fire to an effigy of Modi at Esplanade but the police doused the fire.

However, the road blockades that were in place since Saturday night at various points of Esplanade, the heart of Kolkata, were lifted at 1 pm.

Several hundred protesters stayed at Esplanade on Saturday night, demonstrating against Modi’s visit and accusing chief minister Mamata Banerjee of facilitating Modi in spreading BJP’s message.

Modi left for the airport after the event at Netaji Indoor Stadium.

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