Lok Sabha elections: Another Bangladesh actor asked to leave India for 'taking part' in TMC campaign

Bangladeshi actor Ghazi Abdul Noor who had attended a political rally in West Bengal has been asked to leave India immediately.

Representational Picture (AFP)

NEW DELHI: Bangladeshi actor Ghazi Abdul Noor who reportedly took part in a TMC rally in West Bengal has been asked to leave India immediately. Earlier on Tuesday, popular Bangladeshi filmstar Ferdous Ahmed was served a 'Leave India' notice for violating visa conditions by campaigning for a TMC candidate. "Appropriate action is also being taken regarding his overstay in contravention of visa rules," a home ministry official said. "One more Bangladeshi actor, Ghazi Abdul Noor, who attended a political rally in Dumdum, West Bengal has been asked to leave India. In any case his visa had expired. Appropriate action is also being taken regarding his overstay in contravention of visa validity," ANI quoted sources in the MHA as saying. Reports suggest that Noor allegedly campaigned for TMC's Dumdum candidate Saugata Roy. 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. Meanwhile, Ferdous Ahmed has apologised for campaigning for a candidate in West Bengal, terming it as an "inadvertent mistake" and a step taken out of love of the people of the state. "I apologise for my inadvertent mistake. I hope everyone will forgive me," he was quoted as saying by bdnews24 news portal. Ferdous said he understood that it was a "mistake" to take part in election campaign of another country, he said in his statement to the news website on Wednesday after returning home the previous night. He said he had been "driven by emotion from the love of the people of West Bengal" when he had joined the campaign along with his Indian co-actors. The Centre on Tuesday had issued a 'Leave India' notice to Ferdous 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 actor has also been "blacklisted" by the Union Home Ministry, jeopardising the chances of his future travel to India. Ahmed won Bangladesh National Film Award for best actor four times for his roles in the films Hothat Brishti (1998), Gangajatra (2009), Kusum Kusum Prem (2011), Ek Cup Cha (2014). (With inputs from PTI)