The Telegraph

Balloons with “Go Back Modi” written on them at Esplanade

A protester shouts slogans at Esplanade

Left-leaning economist Prasenjit Bose, who led one of the rallies on Saturday

Calcutta’s most famous intersection turned into a protest square on Saturday as thousands kept descending on Esplanade with one chant — “Go back Modi”.

The protests against the new citizenship matrix did something that even protest-happy Calcutta is not familiar with. An area normally associated with heavy traffic and sea of office-goers saw black flags, effigies, black balloons and quirky posters throughout the day.

The buses were still parked at one corner of Jawaharlal Nehru Road. But a bunch of students were jumping on their roofs, waving flags and shouting “halla bol”.

The indefatigable crowd, mainly comprising students, was as boisterous at 9pm as it was as noon. It was 3pm when one of the protesters was waving a large rainbow flag. At 7.30pm, she was seen waving the same flag with equal energy.

A protester holds a poster that read “Hitler’s son Jhootler”

3.56pm: A protester holds a rainbow flag at Esplanade on Saturday afternoon

“Chappa chappa goonj uthega inquilab ke naaro se (All nooks and corners will reverberate with calls of revolution),” shouted another group, sitting a stone’s throw away. One of the posters on the group said: “Modiji, I will definitely show papers. But they will have slogans written on them”.

Left-leaning economist Prasenjit Bose, who led one of the rallies that camped on JL Nehru Road, underlined the significance of Saturday’s protests.

“A Prime Minister’s visit is being protested by citizens, cutting across party lines. The protest is issue-based and specific, showing the strong sentiment against the new citizenship scheme. Something like this has not happened in recent memory,” said Bose.

A 70-year-old man, a CPM member for four decades, told Metro near Lenin Sarani: “I have been part of many protests in Calcutta. But I don’t remember anything like this in Esplanade. The youth have showed us how to lead a mass movement.”

Retired advertising professional Abeer Chakravarty was standing near the KC Das outlet with his two daughters, a son-in-law and their friends. “This is like a family outing, but driven by the urge to protest. The present situation is worse than the Emergency,” he said.

Karishma Siddique Roy was standing beside him. She had a poster that read: “It is not so easy to Modify India. Brute strength isn’t everything.”

Demonstrations and rallies were held by students against the Prime Minister and the CAA-NRC-NPR in places like Golpark, Jadavpur and College Street since the morning. But as the day progressed, one group after another headed for Esplanade.

The largest group — a rally of over 2,000 students — reached Esplanade at 6.30pm, close to four hours after it started from the Academy of Fine Arts. The students, mainly from Jadavpur University, were diverted at least three times and came via Park Street and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road.

But if the cops thought the long detour would drain the marchers, they were wrong. When the rally arrived in front of SN Banerjee Road, a thunderous roar of “halla bol” shot through the sky. A giant flex with Bhagat Singh’s face and a banner that said “Fascist Modi! Go Back” were at the forefront.

6.23pm: The protester continues to hold the rainbow flag in the evening

Thick police contingents stood guard at all the intersections in and around Esplanade. Rani Rashmoni Avenue and Esplanade Row were out of blocks by 1pm and a series of steel barricades were in place. By 3.30pm, parts of Central Avenue were also cordoned off. Traffic across central Calcutta was brought to a standstill. Several groups wanted to protest at Y Channel were stopped at the intersection of JL Nehru Road and Esplanade Row.

The curbs meant only JL Nehru Road — the area in front of Tipu Sultan Mosque to the intersection with SN Banerjee Road — was available for the demonstrations. People decided to make the most of it and the area soon turned into a festival of protests.

Around 6.30pm, scores of groups sat on different parts of the road. One such group, sitting 20m from the Lenin Sarani intersection, was staging a skit. A youth, his face hidden by a Modi mask, said: “I am the first Prime Minister to have lied from the Red Fort,”