After Shaheen Bagh like sit-in protests  in different parts of the country, now human chains are coming up to oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).  On Republic Day, the  ruling Left Front held a massive 620-km human chain in Kerala involving millions of protesters,  while a 11-km long human chain was held in Kolkata. In  Bihar, thousands of people, including a large number of women and children, formed a human chain to protest against CAA-NRC-NPR on Saturday.

The LDF organised the human chain from Kasaragod in north Kerala to Kaliyakkavilai in the southernmost part of the State. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI leader Kanam Rajendran joined the protest in Thiruvananthapuram.  The LDF leaders claimed that around 60 to 70 lakh people participated in the human chain. The human chain was formed at 4 pm, following which the preamble of the Constitution was read out.

Later, an oath was taken to protect the Constitution from the “attempts of the Central Government” to destroy it. CPI(M) polit bureau members S Ramachandran Pillai was the first link of the 620-km-long human chain at Kasaragod, while MA Baby was the last link at Kaliyakkavilai. Many prominent personalities from all walks of life participated in the human chain. In Kolkata, the United Interfaith Foundation India (UIFI), an inter-faith group organised 11 kilometer human chain from Golpark to Shyambazar.

“We have formed a human chain on Republic Day as we want to drive home the message that we — Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains — are one. Everyone stands united as an Indian citizen and we will never allow anyone to sow the seeds of discord among us,” UIFI general secretary Satnam Ahluwalia told PTI.

He said leaders of different communities  and  members of their communities actively participated in the human chain, covering areas like Park Circus seven-point crossing, Mullick Bazar, Ripon Street-AJC Bose Road crossing, Nonapukur, Raja Bazar and Maniktala.

The ruling Trinamool Congress continued its protest against CAA and NRC at four venues in Kolkata. At Rani Rashmoni Avenue, the women’s wing on Saturday protested against the remark of Kailash Vijayvargiya, the BJP national general secretary and its Bengal minder, who had said on Thursday that he found the eating habits of some of the construction labourers working at his house in Indore “strange” as they were eating only ‘poha’ (flattened rice).

 The Opposition parties, including the CPM and the Congress, also organised separate protests across West Bengal and took oath to uphold the Constitution.

On the occasion of the Republic Day, Left-wing students of universities and colleges in the city took out a rally from Nakhoda Masjid to Jorasanko, the birthplace of Rabindranath Tagore. Protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed NRC, they took a pledge that “they will not allow the country to be divided again”. “Nakhoda Masjid represents cosmopolitan and inclusive character of Kolkata on Eid and other festivals while Tagore began his ‘padayatra’ against partition of Bengal from Jorasanko to Baghbazar in 1905. Hence, in the troubled times, we chose the two places,” Sayan Chakraborty, a student of Presidency University, said.

Anti-CAA protesters in Lucknow’s Ghantaghar area celebrated the Republic Day by hoisting the Tricolour and reading out the preamble to the Constitution.  Meraj Haider, a protester, said,”The day started with the hoisting of the flag at Ghantaghar (Clock Tower), which was followed by the rendering of songs by those gathered there. The preamble to the Constitution was also read out.”   He said it was a unique day as people from different walks of life gathered at Ghantaghar in large numbers to protest the CAA and the NRC.  Rajiv Yadav, a member of the Rihai Manch that backed the protest, said the agitation against the CAA-NRC-NPR at the Ghantaghar have assumed an artistic dimension.

In Bihar, on Satruday five  Left parties formed one-hour human chain in Patna and district headquarters demand withdrawal of CAA and protest on proposed NRC. CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI state secretary Satya Narayan Sing, CPM leaders Subhashini Ali and Sarvoday Sharma joined the human chain in Patna.  Leaders from Congress, Hindustani Awam MOrcha(Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party and Vikassheel Insaan Party also joined the human chain organized from Buddha Smriti Park to Gandhi Maidan in Patna.