Imran Khan’s Girlfriend Lekha Washington Faces Hate Comments Questioning Her Nationality Amid ‘Leave India’ Notice Row

Actor Imran Khan’s girlfriend, Lekha Washington, has addressed online trolling amid the controversy surrounding the actor’s notice to leave India. She took to her Instagram story to share screenshots of comments she has received on social media following Imran’s detention during a Mumbai protest and the subsequent notice directing him to leave the country by October 28. Lekha shared the message without saying anything and did not caption the screenshot with anything.

The screenshots featured several hateful comments targeting Lekha and questioning her nationality and views on India. One user wrote, “Why don't you imagine it in your birth country? Why are citizens of other countries suddenly thinking about India and talking about politics?” Another comment read, “Failed actors have become very much concerned about the nation.” A third user wrote, “Oh, you are not even a citizen... Now I guess you will be sent out and won't be able to set foot on my soil again.”

Lekha shared the screenshots without adding any caption or directly responding to the comments. She later posted a quote on social media that read, “We are made of air, water, each other. What we do to the air, we do to ourselves. What we do to the water, we do to ourselves. What we do to each other, we do to ourselves.” Although she did not explicitly connect the quote to the trolling, the post appeared to offer a cryptic response to the hateful remarks she had received.

Imran was issued a notice by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) directing him to leave India by October 28 after he was detained during a protest at Mumbai’s August Kranti Maidan on October 10. The actor has challenged the notice in the Bombay High Court, arguing that it was issued without giving him an opportunity to be heard. The FRRO has also issued a show-cause notice asking why his Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) registration should not be cancelled. The court is scheduled to hear his plea on October 26, two days before the deadline to leave the country.