lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Apr 18, 2019 16:53 IST

Bangladeshi actor Ghazi Abdul Noor who had attended a political rally in West Bengal has been asked to leave India immediately, officials said Thursday. Noor is the second Bangladeshi actor, after Ferdous Ahmed, to be served a ‘Leave India’ notice. Noor was staying in India despite expiry of his visa.

“Appropriate action is also being taken regarding his overstay in contravention of visa rules,” a home ministry official said. Reports suggest that Noor allegedly campaigned for TMC’s Dumdum candidate Saugata Roy.

The Centre on Tuesday had issued a ‘Leave India’ notice to Ahmed and cancelled the business visa given to him for allegedly campaigning for a political party. Ahmed had attended a rally in support of the Trinamool Congress candidate in Raiganj in West Bengal. The Home Ministry action came after it received a report from the Bureau of Immigration regarding visa violations committed by the Bangladesh actor.

The BJP Wednesday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission after a video surfaced showing Noor purportedly campaigning for Roy in the Dumdum constituency in alleged violation of the poll code. “This act is in violation of the terms of visa and yet another case of a foreigner actively influencing the electoral process. This is a gross violation of the basics of democratic structure,” BJP’s West Bengal vice-president Jay Prakash Majumdar said after filing a complaint with the EC.