Imran Khan, Lekha Washington, and Zayn Marie were detained by the Mumbai Police during a protest on Saturday. Now, Lekha shared a detailed note on Instagram explaining why they had gone to August Kranti Maidan in the first place.
Giving an account of the events, Lekha wrote, "On Saturday, around 5 pm, Zayn Marie, Nuzhat (Imran's mother), my partner Imran, myself, and others walked towards August Kranti Maidan to ask about friends of ours who had been detained."
Describing the situation at the venue, she added, "There was no gathering happening. The police had barricades on all sides, and there was a considerable media presence, who swarmed Imran."
According to Lekha, Imran briefly spoke to reporters before the situation became chaotic. "He responded to the questions from the media, saying we have no demands, we are not part of an organisation, we are just individuals," she wrote.
She further claimed that the interaction was abruptly interrupted. "Before he could even finish his sentence, with the weight of the media on one side, loud and incessant whistle-blowing disrupted everything."
She added, "A stream of uniformed persons grabbed both Zayn and me, bruising us. They forced us all into the vehicle and then drove us around for a couple of hours. Subsequent to that, they did not allow us to take public transport."
"Hilariously, we were stuck in traffic for a lot of it. The entire evening has been documented in detail," wrote Lekha.
Shedding light on the incident, Lekha acknowledged her own position of privilege and expressed appreciation for the police.
She wrote, "It is important to note that we are individuals in a position of privilege and that far worse is being done to others. The Mumbai Police has been a beacon of balance in my personal experience, and I appreciate them deeply. I believe in equality and respect for all, and at some point we must collectively find our voices to speak the truth. Thank you."
Videos and photographs of their detention surfaced on Saturday afternoon, showing the actors being escorted away in a police van.
The three later shared updates on social media, confirming that they had been released and recounting their experience.
Lekha Washington took to Instagram on Saturday night to post a reel confirming that they were safe. In a subsequent Instagram Story, she was seen hugging Imran Khan and Zayn Marie after the trio returned home.
The detention took place during demonstrations organised by the Cockroach Janata Party. Protesters were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The controversy gained wider attention following reports and investigations into the revision exercise. Demonstrations were held in several parts of the country, including Mumbai and Delhi, with protesters seeking accountability over the alleged irregularities.
