Actor Imran Khan ordered to leave India after participating in protest
The Bollywood actor had been detained and released while participating in a protest in Mumbai on 10 October.
Key points
- Indian authorities have ordered actor Imran Khan, nephew of Aamir Khan, to leave the country by 28 October after he joined a protest seeking electoral reforms.
- Khan, an American citizen holding an Overseas Citizen of India card, was served a notice by the Foreigners' Regional Registration Office for violating laws by protesting.
- Khan's lawyer says he will challenge the order in the Bombay High Court, arguing that no law bars OCI cardholders from protesting.
Indian authorities have ordered actor Imran Khan, the nephew of Bollywood star Aamir Khan, to leave the country by 28 October after he took part in a protest seeking electoral reforms. Khan is an American citizen who holds an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, which lets people of Indian origin visit and stay in India but does not allow them to vote or contest elections.
Police said on Thursday that Khan had joined the agitation at Mumbai's August Kranti Maidan, which called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. His lawyer has said the actor will challenge the order in the Bombay High Court.
Notice and legal challenge
Police said the Foreigners' Regional Registration Office (FRRO) served Khan a notice for violating laws by protesting. The actor's lawyer countered that no provision of law or rule for OCI cardholders prohibits him from taking part in a protest.
The Press Trust of India reported that Khan's petition against the Mumbai police notice described it as "drastic".
I don't have demands. I'm here as a citizen, as a person who lives in this city.
— Imran Khan
Protest and political reaction
Khan joined the 10 October protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a wider GenZ-led movement that has held demonstrations for days seeking electoral reforms and the resignation of India's top election official over vote fraud allegations. India's poll panel denies the charges.
The complaint against Khan was filed by Kirit Somaiya, a leader of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who accused the actor of being "involved in a conspiracy to spread anarchy in India". Khan did not address the allegation directly, but told reporters he had no demands and was there as a citizen who lives in the city, questioning why freedom of movement was being restricted and people's voices suppressed. He was briefly detained after the protest.
Wider demonstrations
Over the weekend, thousands of protesters marched in Delhi, Mumbai and other parts of India demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation ahead of key state elections. On Monday, opposition leaders including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi led thousands in a march from Connaught Place to the Supreme Court in Delhi.
On Wednesday, two top CJP leaders were jailed for five days after being arrested for allegedly trespassing at a protest site in Delhi. The CJP has called another protest for Friday evening in the capital.
