One of the kolams drawn outside DMK leaders' homes today in Chennai.

A defiant DMK is sending a message to authorities cracking down on anti-CAA protests -- with some deft fingers and a bit of kolam powder.

In Chennai, Tamil Nadu's main opposition party had special rangolis (known here as kolams) drawn outside the homes of top party leaders to oppose the amended Citizenship Act and a National Register of Citizens (the Centre now says no talks have been held on a countrywide citizens register).

This, just a day after seven people were detained for drawing similar kolams in Besant Nagar, a posh neighbourhood. They were later released.

Kolams drawn outside the homes of the late DMK supremo Karunanidhi, party chief MK Stalin and Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi read "Vendaam [We don't want] CAA-NRC".

Protesters opposing the CAA fear it will shield non-Muslim illegal migrants identified by a pan-India NRC and make a large number of Muslims stateless.

The DMK says the CAA is also against Sri Lankan Tamils (the law covers illegal migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh) -- a concern that other opposition parties have raised too.

Dozens have been killed during the demonstrations against the CAA and the NRC -- most of them in Uttar Pradesh.

The Centre denies that the new law, passed by Parliament this month, is anti-Muslim, and insists Indian Muslims need not worry.