india

Updated: Dec 19, 2019 20:48 IST

While supporters of Trinamool Congress, Congress and the left parties were still assembling on Kolkata streets for their respective roadshows on Thursday afternoon, a group born on social media to oppose Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) became the first to roll out its protest march.

Several intellectuals, including national award winning director and actor Aparna Sen and actor Kaushik Sen, were in the group made up largely of students and youths, who marched to Esplanade from the Ramlila Maidan in central Kolkata around 3.30 pm.

The formation named ‘No NRC Movement’ started on Facebook, has organised several protests on the ground across Bengal. Members have been appointed in district and state-level coordination committees for campaigns against the NRC, CAA, and the NPR (National Population Register).

“I am on the street because this citizenship act cannot be supported. We cannot allow laws that create divide in the society,” said Aparna Sen.

The Facebook group has more than one lakh members and most of its organisers are rights activists and members of socio-religious organisations.

Over the past month, the group carried out intense campaign on social media and on the ground to persuade the ruling party to halt NPR work and stall CAA and NRC’s implementation in the state.