India, July 16 -- West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday afternoon led a protest in Kolkata against the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states.

Senior leaders of the party, including Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, also joined Mamata Banerjee as she took to the streets along with thousands of people. The march began from College Square in central Kolkata around 1.45pm and will terminate at Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala, news agency PTI reported.

The nearly 3-km-long route was wrapped in security, with nearly 1,500 police personnel guarding the barricaded pavements and adjacent buildings.

Vehicular traffic was diverted along multiple arterial...