Actor Imran Khan, Lekha Washington and Zayn Marie Khan were among those detained during a protest in Mumbai called by the . Following their release, Lekha claimed they struggled to arrange a ride home, while Imran eventually walked back.
The actor, his partner Lekha Washington and his cousin, actor Zayn Marie Khan, were detained by Mumbai Police on 10 October during a protest at August Kranti Maidan.
The trio had joined a demonstration in support of the Cockroach Janta Party (), which is demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the rollback of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The detention was part of a wider police operation to prevent unauthorised gatherings across Mumbai. Hundreds of protesters were detained at different locations as demonstrators attempted to show solidarity with the CJP’s protest in Delhi.
Imran, Lekha and Zayn Marie were among those taken away by the police. The three documented parts of their experience on social media, giving their followers updates from inside the police vehicle.
Imran shared a selfie from inside the police van with the caption, “Apparently I’m going for a drive.” The post offered a glimpse of the actor’s experience during the police action.
Lekha also posted videos from the vehicle, informing her followers that they had been detained and that she did not know where they were being taken. She asked people to follow their location as the situation unfolded.
Zayn shared a photograph from inside the van showing herself seated alongside Imran and Lekha. She captioned the picture “INQUILAAB ZINDABAAD”, documenting her support for the .
However, the situation did not end immediately after their . In subsequent updates, Lekha alleged that the group faced difficulties getting home, claiming they were not being allowed to book a cab.
In videos shared after the detention, Lekha said the police were not letting them return home or arrange a vehicle. Her updates drew attention to what happened after the trio were taken away from the protest site.
In the videos shared by Washington, it can be seen that the group eventually walked back home after being detained. Lekha later reassured people that the group was safe, even as she described the difficulty of arranging transport.
The incident unfolded amid demonstrations against the Election Commission’s electoral roll revision process. The CJP’s protest call sought ‘s resignation, while police maintained that permission had not been granted for the gathering at August Kranti Maidan.
The trio were subsequently released. Their social media posts documented both the detention and the difficulties they said they faced while trying to return home.
