Mumbai Police Asks Actor Imran Khan To Leave India By October 28 Over Protest Participation

The Mumbai Police have asked actor Imran Khan, an American citizen and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder, to leave the country by October 28, days after he took part in a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Mumbai.

The notice, served by the Mumbai Police following action by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), has been issued under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. Officials say foreign nationals are barred from joining political protests or activities on Indian soil, and that further administrative procedures are underway.

Section 7 of the Act empowers the Centre to regulate, restrict or prohibit the entry, departure, presence or movement of foreigners in India. Section 29 deals with removal, allowing the Central Government to direct the “removal of a foreigner from India for contravention” of the law, its rules or orders, or on an adverse security report.

Khan holds an OCI card, a status introduced in 2005 for people of Indian origin who hold foreign citizenship. It is important to note that an OCI card does not confer Indian citizenship. Cardholders are foreign nationals, though they enjoy privileges such as a lifelong, multiple-entry visa, along with specified benefits relating to education, property and certain professional activities, subject to applicable rules.

The actor, nephew of Bollywood star Aamir Khan, was among those who gathered at Mumbai’s August Kranti Maidan on October 10, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The demonstration was linked to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

The actor was detained along with his partner, actor Lekha Washington, and Zayn Marie Khan, and released later. Reports say about 400 people were detained during the protest. Sharing a picture from inside the police van, Khan wrote, “Apparently I’m going for a drive.” Zayn later said in a video that she was manhandled by the police and showed bruises she said she suffered in custody.

At the protest, Khan said he had no specific demands and had come forward as a resident of the city. “I am here as a citizen,” he said in a video that circulated widely on social media, adding that he wanted to know why freedom of movement was being restricted and why people’s voices were being suppressed.

The action follows a complaint by former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, who urged the Mumbai Police to verify Khan’s citizenship and asked whether a foreign national should take part in a political agitation. Somaiya claimed that the actor, born and educated in the US, earns his livelihood in India while taking part in political activities opposing the government. He said he had sought a report on how long Khan had been a US citizen and thanked the authorities for acting.

Khan described himself as an ordinary resident worried about curbs on movement and speech, while his critics argue that a foreign national should stay away from political agitation.

Inputs from HT