YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was detained from his residence in Gurugram ahead of a proposed protest in Delhi, according to a report by Navbharat Times, after police warned him not to attend the gathering because it did not have permission and restrictions were in force under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The detention has drawn attention to how Delhi police are using preventive measures to control access to protest locations in the National Capital Region.
The report said around 30 police personnel in plain clothes reached Rathee’s residence in Central Vihar, Sector 56, at about 7.30 am. He was subsequently taken to the Crime Branch office in Sector 39, according to the police account cited by the newspaper. The proposed protest was to be held at Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in voter lists and was linked to the demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Police officials told Navbharat Times that the action was preventive and intended to avoid any untoward incident. They said restrictions under BNSS Section 163 were applicable in Delhi and that Rathee had been warned against participating in the gathering because permission had not been obtained. An officer cited in the report said such detention could continue for up to 24 hours.
The report did not state that Rathee had been charged with an offence. It described the police action as detention and said a police team remained deployed near Central Vihar after he was taken away. The account also said that several office-bearers of the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party and other political organisations were allegedly placed under house arrest or otherwise prevented from travelling to Jantar Mantar.
Rathee’s wife, Juli LBR-Rathee, who is based in Germany, appealed for his release in an Instagram story after his phone and those of his friends were switched off, according to the report. She wrote that her husband was missing and asked Delhi Police to release him from custody. Her appeal provided the immediate public response to the detention, while the police explanation focused on restrictions around the proposed protest.
The incident extends beyond the detention of one public figure because it involves movement between Gurugram, where Rathee was detained, and central Delhi, where the protest was planned. Preventive policing in the National Capital Region often operates across this connected urban geography, with authorities attempting to restrict the movement of organisers and participants before they reach designated protest sites. In this case, the stated basis for the action was the absence of permission and the restrictions imposed under BNSS Section 163.
Rathee had travelled to India from Germany and had recently been seen in Bengaluru with leaders and members associated with the protest, the report said. His main YouTube channel focuses on politics, society, history and current affairs. The report said he was in India to participate in the demonstration against the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commission of India.
The next official step cited in the report is the police decision on the duration of the detention, which officials said could extend to 24 hours. The report did not provide further details about any formal case, charge or court proceeding against Rathee.
