BJP leader Somaiya urged Mumbai Police to verify Khan's citizenship and questioned whether a foreign national should participate in a political agitation.
Hindustan Times
15 October, 2026, 01:40 pm
Last modified: 15 October, 2026, 01:47 pm
The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Mumbai has asked actor Imran Khan, who is reportedly an American citizen, to leave India by 28 October.
The move came after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya complained that the actor, despite holding a US passport and an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, had participated in the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)'s protest against chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar at August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai Central on 10 October.
"The FRRO has taken action and a notice was served on actor Imran Khan, who is [in India] on an OCI card. The actor, nephew of Bollywood star Aamir Khan, lives in Khar and was served the notice," a Mumbai Police official said.
The FRRO is the agency responsible for regulating the registration, movement, stay, departure and visa extensions of foreign nationals. It operates under the Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs, and works in close coordination with the police infrastructure.
BJP leader Somaiya urged Mumbai Police to verify Khan's citizenship and questioned whether a foreign national should participate in a political agitation.
The actor was born and educated in the US but earned his livelihood in India while "participating in political and diplomatic activities opposing the government", he said, according to news agency PTI.
"I had sought a report on how long Imran Khan had been a US citizen," Somaiya said, adding that he was grateful to the authorities for taking action.
'I am here as a citizen'
At the protest, Imran Khan said he was not there with any specific demands but had come forward in his capacity as "a citizen". He said he wanted to understand why freedom of movement was being restricted and why people's voices were being suppressed.
"I don't have demands. I am here as a citizen, as a person who lives in this city. I am here to see why freedom of movement is being restricted. Why are people's voices being suppressed? That is why I am here," the actor said in a video widely circulated on social media.
The actor, his girlfriend Lekha Washington, his mother Nusrat and his niece Zayn (Marie) were detained along with 400 others during the protest. The demonstrators were demanding the resignation of CEC Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Zayn later said in a video that she had been assaulted and manhandled by the police and showed the bruises she had sustained while in detention.