The Mumbai Police and the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) have issued a notice to actor Imran Khan, instructing him to leave India by October 28, 2026. The instruction came after he participated in a protest held at Mumbai's August Kranti Maidan on October 10, 2026, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Khan, nephew of Bollywood star Aamir Khan, holds US citizenship.
He was detained by the police during the protest. The actor had then shared a selfie from inside the police van on Instagram, stating, "It feels like I'm going for a drive." Later, a video of him also surfaced, in which Khan can be seen asking police officers, "What have I done? Why am I being pushed around?"
The Mumbai Police registered an FIR against him and others at the Gaavdevi police station under sections 223, 126(2), 189(2), 189(3), and 189(5) of the BNS. These sections relate to disobeying an order, wrongful restraint, and unlawful assembly.
Khan later told reporters that he arrived at the August Revolution Grounds to participate in the protest not as a representative of any political party or organisation but as a private citizen to support the protesters.
"I have no demands. I am here as a citizen, as a person living in this city, to see why freedom of movement is being restricted. Why are people's voices being suppressed? That's why I am here," Khan added.
However, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya filed a complaint against the actor urging the FRRO, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, to investigate the matter. On October 13, 2026, Kirit Somaiya wrote to Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, stating that the Mumbai police detain the actor and deport him from the country. Somaiya stated that Imran Khan is a foreign citizen and therefore cannot participate in political protests in India.
The law stipulates that foreign nationals or Overseas Citizen of India cardholders do not have the fundamental right to participate in political protests or demonstrations in India. Violations of these rules could result in the revocation of their Overseas Citizen of India status or even their deportation from the country.
