Imran Khan, Lekha Washington released after Mumbai protest detention; actor says ‘Jai Hind’

Imran Khan, Lekha Washington, and Zayn Marie released hours after being detained by Mumbai Police.

Hours after being detained by Mumbai Police on Saturday, actors Imran Khan, Lekha Washington, and Zayn Marie were released. The trio, who were part of the Cockroach Janata Party protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, were among many who congregated outside August Kranti Maidan to hold a demonstration. However, videos and pictures surfaced around 4 pm, showing that Imran, his girlfriend, and cousin were dragged into a police van and being taken to an undisclosed location.

Imran Khan, Lekha Washington, Zayn Khan released from detention

Lekha Washington took to Instagram on Saturday night and shared a reel confirming that they were safe after being released from detention. In her latest Instagram Story, Lekha, Imran Khan and Zayn Khan are seen sharing a group hug after reaching home. In an earlier reel, Lekha also mentioned that even after being released, they were not being allowed to take a cab back home since Mumbai Police continued to threaten the cab drivers.

Zayn also offered a blow-by-blow update of their detention through her Instagram Stories. She reposted a video of Mumbai Police aggressively dragging them inside the van, without telling them where they’re being taken. She was then seen chanting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, from inside the police van, only to be joined by a few passers-by walking on the road.

In another Story, Zayn faced the camera and told her followers that when the officials at Yellow Gate police station were asked why she, Imran, and Lekha are being detained, they had no response. So, they decided to walk out of the station, only to be chased by a police officer. “I’ve been asking him why we were detained, but he has no clue either. He just says, ‘Two minutes,’ and then goes on the phone for hours,” Zayn added, with a shrug of shoulders.

In more reels shared by other protesters at the site, Imran Khan is seen telling one of them that he, Lekha, and Zayn were moved around in the police van for at least a couple of hours without offering any reason for detention. In another video, when Imran and Zayn confront a group of police officers on why they are being detained, with the latter even recording the lack of their reactions on her phone camera, the police officers just walk off — only for Imran to bid them goodbye with a “Jai Hind!”.

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Zayn Khan’s callback to Imran Khan’s Ranjore ka Rathore moment

In a lighthearted moment, Zayn Khan shared a reel from inside the police van, asking Imran Khan if he’s ever ridden a horse, gone to jail, and bashed someone up, in a funny callback to his 2008 debut film, Abbas Tyrewala’s cult romantic comedy Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na. Jai Rathore, his character from that film, is a non-violent heir of violent kings and warriors from Ranjore in Rajasthan, who has to fulfill the above three conditions in order to be truly called a “Ranjore ka Rathore”.

Imran chuckles and responds that while he has ridden a horse, he has never beaten anyone up in real life and isn’t entirely sure whether he is going to jail. “Ho sakta hai (it’s possible),” he says.

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Imran broke the internet when he shared a picture of him inside the police van on his Instagram handle with the caption, “Apparently I’m going for a drive.” Zayn also reposted a fan meme of Imran’s picture inside the police van with his popular dance song “Dhatt Teri Ki Main Ghar Nahi Jana” from Punit Malhotra’s 2013 rom-com Gori Tere Pyaar Mein.

While Mumbai Police claimed no permission was sought for the protest at August Kranti Maidan, CJP workers argued they’d emailed them seeking permission, but had not received a response. The wider protests, taking place across India including Delhi, demand Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls after an Indian Express investigation.

Also Read — Imran Khan detained in Mumbai amid CJP protest; Prakash Raj, Anurag Kashyap slam crackdown

The police crackdown was not limited to Mumbai but extended to other cities, including Delhi, where over 4,000 protesters were detained across the capital, primarily in areas around Jantar Mantar, the city’s designated protest site. Several CJP leaders and prominent opposition politicians were also detained before they could assemble at the protest site.