Imran Khan should be deported: BJP's Kirit Somaiya seeks action after Mumbai protest

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya demanded actor Imran Khan's deportation after he joined a Mumbai protest. The row has put Khan's citizenship status and the detention of protesters under fresh focus.Ex BJP MP Kirit Somaiya (L) demands Imran Khan’s (R) deportation after Mumbai protest detention (Photo: Instagram/Imran Khan)New Delhi,Oct 13, 2026 11:10 ISTActor Imran Khan’s participation in the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led Mumbai protest on October 10 has drawn a sharp response from BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya, who has demanded the actor’s deportation, claiming he is a US citizen. Somaiya has also urged Mumbai Police to verify Khan’s citizenship and questioned whether a foreign national should be taking part in a political agitation.The demand came a day after Khan and his girlfriend, Lekha Washington, were among more than 400 people detained during the Saturday protest at August Kranti Maidan against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar."Actor Imran Khan should be deported immediately (sic)," Somaiya wrote in an X post, calling for the police to check the actor’s citizenship status.See his post here: Khan, however, said he was there as a Mumbai resident, not as a representative of any political group."I don't have demands. I am here as a citizen, as someone who lives in this city," he said, questioning restrictions on freedom of movement and the suppression of people’s voices. He added that he wasn’t part of any organisation and had come in his capacity as a citizen.What was the Mumbai protest about? The gathering was called by author Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson, in support of the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms’ demand for Kumar’s resignation. The protest centred on concerns around the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and allegations of voter-list manipulation. Tushar Gandhi was also detained while travelling to the proposed protest site and was later released.Mumbai Police said August Kranti Maidan wasn’t a designated protest venue under a Bombay High Court order, and that preventive action was taken to maintain law and order.The controversy surrounding Khan’s presence has now added another political dimension to a demonstration that was already focused on electoral rolls, the Election Commission and the right to protest.The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had also called for a demonstration on the same day at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over voter registration rules and changes related to Form 6.- Ends