A law student, who has become a regular face at recent protests, and a woman who “has been forced out on the street by the government for the first time” were at a Friday rally to protest the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens.

As some shouted slogans, others tried to instil courage in a few women who stood quiet and despondent at the rally organised by traders of Mechhua Fruit Market. The rally, which started from Mechhua and ended at Bentinck Street, saw several protesters walk with the Tricolour and take the pledge to “keep protesting” against the divisive law.

“In my community there are many who are not educated and they are worried. They are contract labourers or tailors and do not have documents. I am here to speak and stand up for all of us,” said Shafqat Rahim, who is doing masters in constitutional law and human rights at Calcutta University’s Hazra Law College.

Sitting on the road divider was 38-year-old homemaker Tabassum Begum, who looked anxious. Tabassum, who lives in a one-room house in north Calcutta’s Kalabagan, said she was forced to come out because of the “present situation”.

“I have never walked in a rally… my husband is a driver and I take care of household chores. I am fed up with what this government is doing and felt compelled to take to the street. First, we stood in queues to get Aadhaar cards done, then we stood in one more queue to get the Aadhaar card synced with our bank accounts and now they want other documents from us. Are we supposed to produce documents of our fathers and grandfathers? How do we show all those documents?” she said.

Ishrat Parveen and Ismat Begum, residents of MG Road, and (right) Tabassum Begum, from north Calcutta, at the rally. Picture by Jhinuk Mazumdar

Giving strength to the movement was a postgraduate student from Jadavpur University. Navamita Chandra, 25, who has a master’s degree in film studies, felt that the “secular fabric” of the nation was under threat. She was shouting slogans with Shafqat, whom she met at Friday’s rally.

“Across the country people are being beaten up for protesting. It is our right to protest and even that is being taken away,” said Navamita.

Shafqat said with students like Navamita joining the protest, it showed that the agitation was not about one particular community, but the entire nation.

Neighbours Ishrat Parveen and Ismat Begum, who organise women workforce for catering companies, said they had joined the rally as they were angry with the uncertainty they were being subjected to.

Ismat said: “There is price rise and joblessness. Is the Modi government even thinking about that?”

Apart from the women, there were traders who had also joined the rally. Fruit merchant Mohammad Bilal Khan described the march as one to “save India and save democracy”.

“We want to save the idea of a united India. When I was in school, my friends were not Muslims but Hindus and Jains. I still have friends who are not Muslims. We will not follow what the BJP says because that is the ideology of a political party and not of the Indian citizens, who are out on the streets protesting,” said Khan.