Prayer rally held in city against CAA

Kolkata: A prayer rally against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was taken out in the city on Monday.

"The objective of taking out the rally is to proclaim the message of brotherhood, amity and communal harmony and to express solidarity with the protesting voice across the nation against CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC). The prayer rally has been jointly organised by Bangiya Christiysa Pariseba (BCP) and Bengal Christian Council," said Herod Mullick, state working president of BCP.

Christians (irrespective of Catholic and Protestants), Hindus, Muslims and people from different communities participated in the prayer rally that started from St. Paul's Cathedral and terminated at Gandhi statue.

"We demand the withdrawal of CAA and stoppage of NRC," said Father John Nelson Ali of Oxmond Memorial Church. The prayer rally participants also harped on the need for 'unity and peace in the present turbulent times.'

"The government is ignoring the huge mass protest despite the fact that it represents the voice of large sections. The government has closed its ears to the voices of the people. The government, while trying to divide the people on the basis of religion, has unified the people belonging to all castes and creed. They are together fighting against CAA and NRC," said Farzana Quader, former editorial manager of Oxford University Press.