Imran Khan Detained, Then Driven in Police Van for 2 Hours
Imran Khan was among more than 400 people detained in Mumbai on Saturday. He says police drove him around in a van for about two hours before release.
Imran Khan spent Saturday in a Mumbai Police van, not on a film set. The actor was among the more than 400 people detained at August Kranti Maidan during an anti-CEC protest, and videos shared by fellow detainees show a tense exit attempt after his release.
What happened at August Kranti Maidan
Mumbai Police detained demonstrators on Saturday from August Kranti Maidan and nearby Nana Chowk. The gathering had been called by Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, in support of the CJP’s demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign amid the row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Imran was picked up with his girlfriend Lekha Washington and cousin Zayn Marie Khan. The three were later released, but a series of videos shared by Lalit Sharma, a lawyer and fellow detainee, shows officers forming a human chain as Imran walked away into a dimly lit lane.
Two hours in a police van
In one clip, Lekha and Zayn ask police for a warrant or proper documents. In another, as the officers step back, Imran waves and calls out “Jai Hind!”
Speaking to Lalit Sharma afterward, Imran said he did not know why he had been brought there. “They picked us all off the streets. They said gaadi mein baitho,” he said. He added that he and his companions were driven around in the police van for about two hours before being released at an undisclosed location.
Why this is getting attention
Imran is best known for romantic comedies, so the image of him in a police van cuts through. August Kranti Maidan is also a loaded site: it is where the Quit India Movement was launched in 1942, so a protest there carries historical weight. When a recognisable actor is caught up in that, the story travels faster than the legal process does.
- 400+ people were detained in Mumbai during the demonstration.
- About 2 hours is how long Imran says he was driven around in the van.
- 3 people were released together: Imran, Lekha and Zayn.
The legal picture
Mumbai Police have registered an FIR at Gamdevi Police Station under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 223 (disobedience to an order), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), and 189(2), 189(3) and 189(5) (unlawful assembly). Police personnel were the complainants, the police said. Tushar Gandhi was also detained while heading to the site and was later released.
The videos are now circulating on social media, and the FIR at Gamdevi Police Station keeps the matter in the legal process as more clips emerge.
Source: Hindustan Times
The room talks
0 comments