Imran Khan asked to leave India over anti-CEC protest, cops invoke Foreigners Act
MUMBAI,OCT 15 : Reports suggest that the action against Imran has been initiated under the relevant provisions of the Immigration Act, allegedly because he participated in a protest despite not being an Indian citizen. He is reportedly a US citizen. India Today, in 2011, quoted him talking about his US citizenship. “I am trying to get an Indian passport. The official proceedings are on. I hope I acquire it soon as some big things are on their way. I feel it is my duty to serve my country. I cannot vote here because I am not a citizen, but I do take part in elections by creating awareness about the importance of voting, because I feel I am a part of this country,” Imran said.
There is no confirmation about him obtaining Indian citizenship later.
Earlier, BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya, demanded the actor’s deportation, claiming he is a US citizen. Somaiya also urged Mumbai Police to verify Khan’s citizenship and questioned whether a foreign national should be taking part in a political agitation.
“Actor Imran Khan should be deported immediately (sic),” Somaiya wrote in an X post, calling for the police to check the actor’s citizenship status.
While speaking about joining the protest earlier, Khan told the media that he was there as a Mumbai resident, not as a representative of any political group. “I don’t have demands. I am here as a citizen, as someone who lives in this city,” he said, questioning restrictions on freedom of movement and the suppression of people’s voices. He added that he wasn’t part of any organisation and had come in his capacity as a citizen.
On Saturday evening, he had shared a photo from inside the police van after being detained, captioning it, “Apparently, I am going for a ride.”
His participation later made his fans anoint him as the real “Ranjhore Ka Rathore”, in a cheeky reference to his character in his debut film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.
What was the Mumbai protest about?
The gathering on October 10 in Mumbai was called by author Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson, in support of the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms’ demand for Kumar’s resignation. The protest centred on concerns around the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and allegations of voter-list manipulation. Tushar Gandhi was also detained while travelling to the proposed protest site and was later released.
Mumbai Police said August Kranti Maidan wasn’t a designated protest venue under a Bombay High Court order, and that preventive action was taken to maintain law and order.
Not the first time
Saturday’s protest wasn’t the first time Imran had used his public platform to speak about an issue that mattered to him. In July this year, the actor criticised the police action against students protesting irregularities in the NEET examination. Reacting to reports of protesters being subjected to a lathi charge at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, he spoke about students working hard only to feel failed by the system, and about the frustration of those who felt their voices were not being heard.
Imran has not yet responded to the notice.
-PTI
