Mumbai: Bollywood actor Imran Khan is in a fresh controversy after joining a protest at the historic August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has objected to Khan's citizenship and asked directly how a foreign national can have the right to join such a protest in India.
Imran Khan is a US citizen
Khan was born in Madison, Wisconsin, in the United States, and is an American citizen by birth. Although he is active in Bollywood in India, he holds a US passport and US citizenship. Somaiya has raised a question mark over Khan's participation on this very issue.
Demand for police action Somaiya said on the social media platform X that he had sent an official letter to Mumbai Joint Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Sharma. He demanded that appropriate legal action be taken against Khan for taking part in a protest in India as a foreign national. After these developments, a news agency tried to contact Khan, but his side could not be heard.
“I have come as a citizen of this city”: Imran Khan
Before the police took him into custody, Khan spoke to the media and put forward his stand. “I have come here as a citizen and as a resident of this very city. I am here to see why restrictions are suddenly being placed on people's movement and freedom of movement, and why the voice of the people is being suppressed.” Police then took him into custody from the protest site.
Do foreign nationals have the right to protest in India under the law?
Giving a legal opinion on the issue, Raj Saraf, a young lawyer and activist with the BJP, said: Under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution, the fundamental rights to speech, expression and assembly are available mainly to Indian citizens. Therefore, a foreign national does not have the fundamental right to protest against Indian policies in the country.