Bollywood actor Imran Khan participated in an anti-CEC protest in Mumbai on October 10, alongside his girlfriend, Lekha Washington, and cousin Zayn Marie Khan. However, the demonstration has since been followed by a notice from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Mumbai, directing Imran, who holds a US passport and an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, to leave India by October 28. Lekha appears to have reacted to the development on social media.
Lekha Washington's first post after Imran Khan asked to leave India
On Friday, Lekha took to Instagram to share a picture of herself and Imran sitting inside a police van after being detained during the protest. Alongside the photograph, she wrote, “just 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻 (love).” Zayn also shared a picture of the three embracing and commented on Lekha’s post, writing, “You are love” followed by red heart emojis.
Filmmaker Kiran Rao and actor Saba Azad also came in support of Imran Khan.
When Lekha Washington and Imran Khan were detained
{{/usCountry}}Filmmaker Kiran Rao and actor Saba Azad also came in support of Imran Khan.
When Lekha Washington and Imran Khan were detained
{{/usCountry}}Deep Dive
Why was Imran Khan asked to leave India after the Mumbai protest?
What was the protest Imran Khan attended in Mumbai about?
How does Imran Khan plan to challenge the FRRO notice?
On October 10, Lekha and Imran reportedly went to August Kranti Maidan to check on friends who had been detained during a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party. The demonstration called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. However, the couple were also detained, along with more than 400 other protesters.
After being released, Lekha took to Instagram to share her account of the incident. She alleged that she and Zayn were grabbed by uniformed officers, leaving them with bruises, before they were taken away in a vehicle.
Imran was approached by reporters during the protest and briefly explained why they were there. Recounting the interaction, Lekha wrote, “He responded to the questions from the media, saying we have no demands, we are not part of an organisation, we are just individuals.”
She claimed that the interaction was interrupted by loud whistles and the commotion around them, preventing Imran from finishing his statement. “Before he could even finish his sentence, with the weight of the media on one side, loud and incessant whistle-blowing disrupted everything,” she added.
Lekha further alleged that they were driven around for a couple of hours and were subsequently prevented from taking public transport.
“A stream of uniformed persons grabbed both Zayn and me, bruising us. They forced us all into the vehicle and then drove us around for a couple of hours. After that, they did not allow us to take public transport,” she wrote.
Imran Khan asked to leave India
On October 15, the FRRO in Mumbai issued a notice directing Imran to leave India by October 28. The action reportedly followed a complaint by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya over the actor’s participation in the protest, despite his US citizenship and OCI status.
A Mumbai Police official said, “The FRRO has taken the action and a notice was served to the actor Imran Khan, who is [in India] on an OCI card. The actor nephew of Bollywood star Amir Khan stays in Khar and was served the notice.”
Imran’s lawyer, Zulfikar Memon, has confirmed that the actor intends to challenge the notice in the Bombay High Court. The petition is expected to be filed by Friday or Monday.
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