Actor Imran Khan’s participation in a Mumbai protest seeking chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation has landed him in an immigration row, with authorities directing him to leave the country by October 28 .
Imran Khan was among hundreds of people detained by Mumbai Police on October 10 during a demonstration organised in support of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). The protesters were demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The force also cited Bombay High Court directions restricting protests to Azad Maidan. CJP workers, however, maintained that they had emailed the police seeking permission but had received no response.
Mumbai Police said permission had not been obtained for the proposed gathering.
The complaint was sent to the FRRO, which deals with specified immigration and foreigner-related matters. The office subsequently issued the notice directing Khan to leave India by October 28, according to police officials.
Khan said he attended the gathering in his individual capacity, describing himself as a Mumbai resident rather than a representative of a political organisation. Speaking to the media at the protest, the actor said he wanted to understand why people’s movement was being restricted and why their voices were being suppressed. He also said he was not there to put forward demands on behalf of an organisation.
