YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was detained from a residential flat in Gurugram on Saturday morning ahead of a planned protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, as security restrictions reportedly tightened across the national capital.
According to information cited by The Hindu from intelligence agency sources, Rathee was detained in a joint operation by the Delhi and Gurugram police. He was staying with his parents at a flat in Central Park Vihar, Sector 56, Gurugram, when police personnel arrived. He was reportedly taken to an undisclosed location in Gurugram.
Police personnel entered the residence at around 7.48 a.m. after Rathee’s mother opened the door, according to the report. Around 50 police personnel had reportedly gathered outside the flat late on Friday night. The report did not identify the location to which Rathee was taken or provide details of any formal case or detention order.
Rathee had reportedly travelled to Delhi to participate in the proposed demonstration at Jantar Mantar. The planned protest was expected to draw heightened security arrangements in central Delhi, with restrictions on public movement and transport introduced in anticipation of the gathering.
The reported measures included the proposed closure of some metro stations, cancellation of trains and a temporary suspension of mobile internet services in parts of central Delhi. These measures, if implemented as reported, would affect how commuters access the central administrative and protest district, as well as the movement of people who are not participating in the demonstration.
In a video posted on Instagram on Friday, filmed at Kartavya Path, Rathee questioned the extent of the security arrangements and the transport restrictions introduced ahead of the proposed protest. The report said the detention came amid a wider police operation across the national capital.
Jantar Mantar is a designated demonstration site in central Delhi, but protests there are managed within a wider security and traffic-control framework because of the area’s proximity to government offices, major roads and public transport links. The reported restrictions therefore have implications beyond the protest venue, particularly for commuters travelling through central Delhi.
The supplied report did not include an official statement from the Delhi Police, Gurugram Police or the authorities responsible for metro and train services on the detention, the reported restrictions or their duration. The next official updates are expected to clarify Rathee’s location, the grounds for the detention and the operational status of transport and communication services around the proposed demonstration.
