MUMBAI: Indian authorities have asked Bollywood actor Imran Khan to leave the country by the end of the month, saying he breached immigration laws after joining a protest against the election commission chief, local media reported on Thursday.
Khan, 43, is a US citizen, the Indian Express newspaper reported. Under Indian law, foreigners’ participation in political protests may be treated as a violation of immigration and visa rules.
Khan was given until October 28 to leave the country, the Times of India newspaper said
The actor participated in a rally in Mumbai on October 10, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over voter list revisions that critics and opposition parties say favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party
India detains protesters, locks down Delhi ahead of rally against election chief
“Apparently I’m going for a drive,” the actor wrote on his Instagram on the same day, with a picture of him posing with a victory sign in the back of what looked like a police van
A complaint was filed against him at a police station in Mumbai, saying Khan had breached the law, and the Foreigners Regional Registration Office, a federal government agency responsible for tracking and monitoring foreign nationals in India, sent him a notice to leave based on the complaint, the Indian Express said
Khan did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters
A nephew of actor Aamir Khan, and hailing from an illustrious film family, Imran acted in several hit Bollywood films from 2008 to 2015, before suddenly retiring