Union minister Amit Shah, flanked by leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya, right and Dilip Ghosh (AP)

KOLKATA: The slogan ‘ Goli maaro saalon ko (shoot the traitors)’ reared its incendiary head in the heart of central Kolkata on Sunday, with a group of BJP supporters headed to Union home minister Amit Shah ’s rally attempting to shout down anti-CAA protesters assembled along the route. Cops had a tough time keeping the two groups away from each other as the anti-CAA side responded with cries of “Halla bol (raise your voice)”.

The slogan pierced through the cacophony of traffic in front of The Oberoi Grand in Kolkata around 2pm, when 200-odd protesters carrying “Go Back Amit Shah” banners ran into the group of BJP supporters walking towards the Dorina crossing. The police swung into action immediately, positioning themselves in the middle of the road to prevent the situation from escalating.

Organisations like the No-NRC Movement later announced a campaign against the “hate slogan” from Monday.

State BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu defended the “Goli maaro..” slogan making its debut in Kolkata. “How else do you expect people to react? They (BJP supporters) have seen propaganda and fake news being peddled over the past couple of weeks. That has sparked their anger, and they are now identifying anti-national forces,” he said.

