Actor Imran Khan has been asked to leave India by the Mumbai Police after he was detained while protesting for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Khan received a Leave India Notice after he was seen protesting despite being an American, according to Indian media reports.
Mumbai Police said in a notice: “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 October 28.”
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“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.”
Before he was detained by the police, the actor said, “I don’t have demands. I am here as a citizen, as someone who lives in this city. I am here to see why freedom of movement is being restricted — why people’s voices are being suppressed. That is why I am here. I am not in a position to make demands of anyone. Nor am I part of any organisation. I am just here as a representative…”
The actor, who has been on hiatus from Bollywood, quickly went viral online after clips of him being detained were posted online. A picture he posted after he was detained by authorities has so far gotten more than 2 million likes, and quickly
Calls for Election Commission of India (ECI) chief Gyanesh Kumar to step down have intensified in recent weeks as opposition parties and critics said the voter roll revision could disenfranchise millions of constituents, benefitting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The ECI has rejected allegations of impropriety, saying the revision was intended to remove duplicate and ineligible voters, including “foreign illegal immigrants”.
Ahead of the protest, authorities in the capital deployed thousands of police, closed dozens of metro stations, cancelled more than 200 trains and temporarily shut down mobile internet around the protest site.
The demonstrations are widely seen as a reprise of the “cockroach” movement’s mass mobilisation in July, which led to the education minister stepping down over an examination scandal.
This time, protesters are demanding Kumar’s resignation and a halt to the voter revision exercise.
[With inputs from AFP]
Source: Khaleej Times