Bollywood actor Imran Khan's girlfriend Lekha Washington has shared a message of love on social media after Indian authorities ordered him to leave the country over his participation in a Mumbai protest.
On Friday, Lekha posted a photograph on Instagram showing the couple sitting inside a police van following their detention during the Oct 10 protest.
She captioned the photograph with a series of heart-hand emojis and the word “love”.
Imran's cousin Zayn Marie Khan commented, “You are love,” accompanied by red heart emojis.
Filmmaker Kiran Rao and actor Saba Azad also expressed support for Imran.
The actor, a US citizen who holds an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, has been ordered to leave India by Oct 28, according to Hindustan Times.
Protest and Detention
Imran, Lekha and Zayn were detained during a demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Mumbai's August Kranti Maidan on Oct 10.
The protest, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party, demanded Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Lekha later said they had gone to the venue to check on friends who had been detained.
Police detained the trio along with more than 400 protesters.
After her release, Lekha alleged on Instagram that police officers had forcibly detained her and Zayn, leaving them bruised.
“A stream of uniformed persons grabbed both Zayn and me, bruising us. They forced us all into the vehicle and then drove us around for a couple of hours. After that, they did not allow us to take public transport,” she wrote.
Lekha said reporters had approached Imran during the protest and asked why he was there.
“He responded to the questions from the media, saying we have no demands, we are not part of an organisation, we are just individuals,” she wrote.
She said loud whistles and the commotion prevented him from finishing his remarks.
Notice to Leave India
Mumbai's Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) served Imran with a notice on Oct 15, directing him to leave India by Oct 28.
According to Hindustan Times, the action followed a complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya over Imran's participation in the protest despite his US citizenship and OCI status.
“The FRRO has taken the action and a notice was served to the actor Imran Khan, who is [in India] on an OCI card,” a Mumbai Police official said.
“The actor, nephew of Bollywood star Aamir Khan, stays in Khar and was served the notice.”
Imran's lawyer Zulfikar Memon said the actor planned to challenge the notice in the Bombay High Court.