NEW DELHI — Germany-based YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was detained at his residence in Gurugram on Saturday morning ahead of a planned protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, police said.
Rathee was detained from his home in Central Vihar Society in Sector 56, Gurugram, after he allegedly refused requests from Gurugram and Delhi police not to travel to the national capital to participate in a demonstration organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP).
According to a senior Gurugram police official, a Delhi Police team had visited Rathee’s residence and asked him not to attend the protest. Gurugram police personnel subsequently arrived at the residence and urged him to comply with the law and help maintain public order.
The official said police were left with no option but to detain Rathee after he rejected their requests, adding that officers would have preferred not to take action had he complied.
Police personnel have been deployed at his residence and will remain there until further instructions, officials said.
Authorities imposed extensive security measures across Delhi ahead of the CJP demonstration at Jantar Mantar, deploying more than 40,000 Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel, according to the report.
Barricades and spike strips were installed at various locations as authorities prepared for the protest.
The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The protest is being led by CJP, headed by Abhijit Dipke.
CJP Condemns Detention
The CJP confirmed Rathee’s detention in a post on social media platform X, accusing the authorities of fearing young people who question alleged wrongdoing and refuse to remain silent.
In a separate statement, the party condemned what it described as the coercive detention of Rathee, a social activist and online influencer.
The organisation alleged that the action was part of a broader government crackdown intended to suppress democratic dissent over alleged voter-list irregularities.
The CJP demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Rathee and hundreds of other citizens and student activists reportedly in custody.
Rathee had recently posted a video on social media urging people to gather at Jantar Mantar on Saturday to participate in the party’s protest.
The allegations concerning electoral irregularities and the circumstances surrounding Rathee’s detention could not be independently verified from the information available in the report.
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