Imran Khan detained amid police crackdown at August Kranti Maidan protest in Mumbai, posts selfie from police van: ‘Apparently I’m going for a drive’

The actor has been vocal about the protests and showed his solidarity in previous protest marches too.

Actor Imran Khan has been detained by the Mumbai Police on October 10. As per the latest update from news agency ANI, the actor was detained from Mumbai's August Kranti Maidan, which was the proposed protest venue in support of CJP’s protest call.

Actor Imran Khan has been detained in Mumbai on October 10. (Raju Shinde/HT)

The actor took to Instagram and shared a selfie from inside the police van. “Apparently I’m going for a drive,” he said in the caption.

Mumbai Police said no permission had been sought for the protest in support of the CJP. They also said they could not grant permission, as the Bombay high court’s directions allow protests to be held only at Azad Maidan. However, CJP workers claimed they had emailed the Mumbai Police seeking permission but had received no response.

Imran's comment on protests

The actor had also showed up for a protest march in July. There, Imran was asked by an aspiring actor if he had anything to say to actors who believe that art is not political. Responding to the question, Imran said, "True art is going to have an individual artist point of you embedded within it, and as part of our human nature, we are going to have opinion and perspective that we hold through to ourselves . If you can’t stand by your opinions and if you do not pour your own heart into your art, your art has no value."

Imran had also expressed his support for the student protest on social media. He voiced his discontent over the alleged use of lathi-charge against students, saying that the very system meant to protect and support them had already failed them. He wrote, “Something broke in me today. Watching as police gassed and battered student protestors… how could I make sense of this? These students who worked hard, only to be failed by the system. These people who asked to be heard, only to be met with silence. These citizens who stood up to show what matters to them… beaten down and disowned by the establishment."

The actor added, “Are these not the children of Mother India? If not them, for whom do we build, and whose future do we claim to protect? Those who demand ‘organisation’ from students protesting education reform, but don’t apply such lofty standards of accountability to established authority; bootlickers, one and all."

About the anti-CEC protest

The CJP has been demanding that CEC Gyanesh Kumar resign over alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls. The group has continued to raise the issue through protests and public statements, including a demonstration in Mumbai on October 2.

The controversy over Kumar's role in the Election Commission intensified after an investigative report by The Indian Express. It reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and procedures linked to the SIR exercise.

About Imran Khan

Imran Khan made his acting debut with 2008's Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, co-starring Genelia D'Souza. The film was loved by both audiences and critics and, over the years, has attained cult classic status. Imran became known for playing the charming boy-next-door in romantic comedies such as I Hate Luv Storys, Break Ke Baad, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, Gori Tere Pyaar Mein and several others. While he was widely appreciated for his roles in romantic comedies, many still consider his role in the 2011 black comedy Delhi Belly to be his most iconic.