Actor Imran Khan asked 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.
Actor Imran Khan told to leave India after joining protest
Imran Khan was briefly detained by police on 10 October while taking part in a protest in Mumbai
Indian authorities have directed actor Imran Khan, the nephew of Bollywood star Aamir Khan, to leave the country by 28 October after he joined a protest calling for electoral reforms.
Khan, a US citizen, holds an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, which permits people of Indian origin to visit and remain in the country. However, OCI holders cannot vote or stand in elections.
"Imran Khan participated in the agitation at Mumbai's August Kranti Maidan, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar," police said in a statement on Thursday.
They said the Foreigners' Regional Registration Office (FRRO) had issued Khan a notice for breaking laws by protesting.
The actor, best known for the 2008 hit romantic comedy Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, has not yet responded to the notice.
Khan made his first screen appearance as a child actor in films including Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988 and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar in 1992.
After debuting as a lead actor in 2008, he went on to appear in films such as I Hate Luv Storys, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Delhi Belly.
The order to leave the country comes as Khan returns to acting this year with the Netflix film Adhure Hum Adhure Tum after more than a decade away.
On 10 October, the actor joined the protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) — part of a broader GenZ-led movement that has staged demonstrations for days demanding electoral reforms and the resignation of India's top election official over allegations of vote fraud. India's poll panel denies the accusations.
"Imran Khan had participated in the agitation despite not being an Indian citizen," police said in their statement.
The complaint against Khan was filed by Kirit Somaiya, a leader of India's and the state's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who accused the actor of being "involved in a conspiracy to spread anarchy in India".
Khan did not directly respond to Somaiya's accusation, but he had spoken to reporters about why he joined the protest.
"I don't have demands. I'm here as a citizen, as a person who lives in this city. I'm here to see why freedom of movement is being restricted, why people's voices are being suppressed," he'd said.
He added that he was not at the protest as a representative of any organisation.
After the protest, Khan was briefly detained by police along with other protesters.
He posted a photo of himself inside the police detention van on Instagram with the caption, "Apparently I'm going for a drive." The post drew more than two million likes on the social media platform.
Over the weekend, thousands of protesters marched in Delhi, Mumbai and other parts of India, demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation ahead of crucial state elections in response to the CJP's call.
On Monday, leaders of several of India's main opposition parties, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, led thousands of protesters in a march from Connaught Place to the Supreme Court in Delhi.
On Wednesday, two senior CJP leaders were jailed for five days after being arrested for allegedly trespassing at a protest site in Delhi.
The CJP has called for another protest on Friday evening in the capital.