Leftwing group in Kolkata burns effigy of Donald Trump to protest George Floyd's killing

A group of people on Monday morning blocked the Esplanade area in the heart of the city and set fire to an effigy of US president Donald Trump, in protest against last week's custodial killing of African- American man George Floyd.

The protesters, carrying flags of Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communists), a fringe leftwing group, raised slogans against the Trump administration, and demanded immediate action by the US government against alleged racial atrocities in the country.

SUCI (C) activists burn an effigy of US President Donald Trump as they stage a protest rally to express solidarity with the people of America, on the first day of COVID-19 lockdown 5.0, in Kolkata, Monday, June 1, 2020. (PTI Photo)

The agitation, which lasted for around 15 minutes, however, did not disrupt traffic movement, as only a few vehicles were plying the streets at that hour, police said.

Violent protests have engulfed at least 140 cities across the US following the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old man who was pinned to the ground last Monday by a white police officer as he gasped for breath and died.

At least five people were killed in the US during the protests and thousands arrested, reports said.