A nearly 100ft-long Tricolour made its way through Central Avenue on Monday evening.

The traffic was stuck but almost everyone waiting in buses and taxis watched curiously as the giant national flag was being carried by scores of women.

The women were part of a solidarity march that started from Tipu Sultan mosque in Esplanade and went to Zakaria Street, a hub of protests against the new citizenship regime since January 10.

“A battle is waging between humans and demons. But it is being projected as a fight between Hindus and Muslims,” one of the marchers, a 62-year-old woman from Kidderpore, told Metro.

She spoke softly but her voice was bold and aggressive when she raised slogans such as “Modi teri tanashahi nahi chalegi (Modi, your autocracy won’t be tolerated)”.

The march was organised by the Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity. The participants, mostly women, came from across the city.

“As the protests against the CAA-NRC-NPR grow stronger by the day, people trying to malign the movement are becoming more and more desperate. The bullets being fired and the abuses being hurled in Delhi are expressions of that desperation. We want to show solidarity with the protesters,” said Shadab Masun, an organiser of Monday’s march.

Masun said similar marches would be organised in Park Circus, Metiabruz and other pockets in the city where anti-citizenship law protests are being held. A programme on the issue will be held at the Book Fair on Wednesday.

Monday’s march was led by senior citizens, who walked in the front row. One of them was Bashiruddin Ahmed, a 75-year-old homoeopath from Belgachhia.

“The ruling party (BJP) felt it was invincible because the Opposition parties were weak. But people have assumed the role of the principal Opposition and the government is now nervous,” said Ahmed.

The pitch of the slogans rose by several notches when the rally crossed the intersection of Central Avenue and Muralidhar Sen Lane, a few feet from the BJP’s state headquarters.

The rally reached Zakaria Street, in front of Nakhoda Masjid, around 7pm. The demonstrators there gave a warm welcome to the marchers. The men hugged each other. The women were escorted to a section where mattresses have been laid on the road.

Shopkeepers sent water bottles, tea and packets of biscuits for the protesters.