Actor Imran Khan shouted ‘Jai Hind’ at police officers as they tried to stop him from leaving after his release from detention in Mumbai. The actor also said police drove him and his companions around in a van for nearly two hours before releasing them at an undisclosed location.
According to Hindustan Times, Imran was among more than 400 people detained by Mumbai Police on Saturday at August Kranti Maidan during a protest supporting the demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Police later released Imran, his girlfriend Lekha Washington and his cousin Zayn Marie Khan. Videos shared online by fellow detainee Lalit Sharma, who identifies himself as a lawyer practising at the Bombay High Court, show the actor’s exchanges with officers after his release.
In one clip, Imran walks down a dimly lit lane surrounded by police personnel. Some officers attempt to form a human chain to stop him from leaving. Lekha and Zayn record the exchange and ask the officers to show them a warrant or other official documents.
In another video, the officers walk away as Imran waves at them and calls out, ‘Jai Hind!’
Sharma later speaks with Imran in a separate clip, in which the actor describes his experience in custody. He says he does not know why police picked him up.
‘I honestly don’t know why I have been brought here. They picked us all off the streets. They said gaadi mein baitho (sit in the van). I thought it must be a very nice car from the inside, that’s why they are excited,’ Imran says.
He adds that police drove him and his companions around in the van for about two hours before releasing them at an undisclosed location.
Hundreds of people were detained at August Kranti Maidan, the proposed protest venue, and nearby Nana Chowk. The Maidan holds historical significance as the place from which the Quit India Movement began in 1942.
Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, called the gathering to support Citizens for Justice and Peace’s (CJP) demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demand comes amid controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Police detained Tushar Gandhi while he was heading towards the venue and later released him. Mumbai Police said they detained more than 400 people during the demonstration.
Police have registered a first information report at Gamdevi Police Station under Sections 223, 126(2), 189(2), 189(3) and 189(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The sections relate to disobedience to an order, wrongful restraint and unlawful assembly. Mumbai Police said on Saturday that police personnel themselves filed the complaint.
