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Photo-article-logo Thursday, 12 February 2026

I will not allow NRC to be implemented here

200 people were at Metro channel in Esplanade on Sunday morning to protest PM Narendra Modi’s Calcutta visit

Subhajoy Roy Published 12.01.20, 10:13 PM
(From left) Somdutta Purkait, Sreeja Nandy and Ritoja Nandy The three, who spent the night in the open at Metro channel, were playing badminton at the protest site the next morning. One of their bats had “Modi” written on it and another “Didi”. “We did this to signify that Modi and Didi (Mamata Banerjee) were enjoying a game together while fooling the common people,” said Somdutta, a student of nursing. “Didi wants us to believe that she is against Modi and his policies, but still she met him. The fact that she stayed away from a meeting of opposition parties against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register shows she is actually an ally of the BJP.”
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(From left) Somdutta Purkait, Sreeja Nandy and Ritoja Nandy The three, who spent the night in the open at Metro channel, were playing badminton at the protest site the next morning. One of their bats had “Modi” written on it and another “Didi”. “We did this to signify that Modi and Didi (Mamata Banerjee) were enjoying a game together while fooling the common people,” said Somdutta, a student of nursing. “Didi wants us to believe that she is against Modi and his policies, but still she met him. The fact that she stayed away from a meeting of opposition parties against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register shows she is actually an ally of the BJP.”

Picture by Gautam Bose
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Sreeja Nandy and Ritoja Nandy play badminton at the protest site on Sunday
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Sreeja Nandy and Ritoja Nandy play badminton at the protest site on Sunday

Picture by Gautam Bose
Sayantani Banerjee, student of hospitality management Sayantani took part in a rally near the airport on Saturday and came to Esplanade after that. She was at Metro channel till 11pm on Saturday and returned on Sunday morning. “Our aim was to stop Modi if he took VIP Road from the airport. But he fled in a chopper,” she said. “I will take part in all protests against CAA, NRC and NPR. I will not allow NRC to be implemented here. I have been a part of a group called ‘No-NRC Movement’, which was set up in September. Since I wrote actively against the BJP on Facebook, someone reported my profile and it was blocked for some time.”
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Sayantani Banerjee, student of hospitality management Sayantani took part in a rally near the airport on Saturday and came to Esplanade after that. She was at Metro channel till 11pm on Saturday and returned on Sunday morning. “Our aim was to stop Modi if he took VIP Road from the airport. But he fled in a chopper,” she said. “I will take part in all protests against CAA, NRC and NPR. I will not allow NRC to be implemented here. I have been a part of a group called ‘No-NRC Movement’, which was set up in September. Since I wrote actively against the BJP on Facebook, someone reported my profile and it was blocked for some time.”

Picture by Gautam Bose
Sabir Hossein Sekh, a guard Sabir lost a day’s income as he took a day’s off to join the protest. And he was not regretting the decision. “Losing a day’s income cannot be a bigger loss than allowing Modi to come to Calcutta and not realise that the people here are dead against the divisive CAA,” he said.
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Sabir Hossein Sekh, a guard Sabir lost a day’s income as he took a day’s off to join the protest. And he was not regretting the decision. “Losing a day’s income cannot be a bigger loss than allowing Modi to come to Calcutta and not realise that the people here are dead against the divisive CAA,” he said.

Picture by Gautam Bose
Sangram Mondal, associated with a civil society organisation affiliated to the UN Sangram spent the night at Metro channel and slept for a couple of hours on Sunday morning on a plastic sheet spread on the road. “I stayed here last night because I felt it was my duty to let the Prime Minister know that there were so many people opposed to his politics. When I found that the students were staying back, I did not think twice,” he said.
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Sangram Mondal, associated with a civil society organisation affiliated to the UN Sangram spent the night at Metro channel and slept for a couple of hours on Sunday morning on a plastic sheet spread on the road. “I stayed here last night because I felt it was my duty to let the Prime Minister know that there were so many people opposed to his politics. When I found that the students were staying back, I did not think twice,” he said.

Picture by Gautam Bose
A protester waves a red flag with a picture of Bhagat Singh on it at the Dorina crossing
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A protester waves a red flag with a picture of Bhagat Singh on it at the Dorina crossing

Picture by Gautam Bose

RELATED TOPICS

Kolkata Narendra Modi Protest National Register Of Citizens (NRC) Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA)
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