Actor Imran Khan has been issued a notice by Mumbai Police on Thursday directing him to leave India by October 28 for allegedly violating the Immigration and Foreigners Act by participating in a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Imran, a US citizen and an OCI cardholder, was among those detained during the October 10 protest in support of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Mumbai’s August Kranti Maidan.
The 43-year-old actor is the nephew of Bollywood icon Aamir Khan.
Action has been initiated against him under the relevant provision of the Immigration Act for participating in the protest despite not being an Indian citizen, Mumbai Police said.
"A Leave India Notice (LIN) has been issued to actor Imran Khan, who is the nephew of actor Aamir Khan. As per the notice, he has been told to leave the country by 28th October," the police statemet read.
"Imran Khan had participated in the agitation at August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai, demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Following the protest, he was detained by the Police. Imran Khan had participated in the agitation, despite not being an Indian citizen," it added.
The police action comes after BJP leader Kirit Somaiya lodged a police complaint on Oct 12, following the actor's involvement in the protest.
Somaiya on Monday had claimed that Khan held US citizenship and asked if his presence was "to instigate that SIR is an anti-Muslim narrative".
"I have demanded that Imran Khan be summoned immediately. The police have assured me they will summon him and seek his (citizenship) documents," Somaiya said.
"Why was Imran Khan there? Was he there to instigate that SIR is an anti-Muslim narrative? I am standing here in Malabar Hill assembly constituency, where the Muslim population is very low, but under SIR, 40 per cent of the total voters' names were deleted," he claimed.
