YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was detained by Gurugram Police at his residence on Saturday morning before he could attend a proposed protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, Navbharat Times reported. The demonstration, organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), is seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The reported detention came as security arrangements and transport restrictions were tightened in parts of the National Capital Region ahead of the protest. The measures mentioned in the report include the closure of more than 50 metro stations, cancellation of trains and buses, and a temporary suspension of mobile internet services in parts of central Delhi.
Rathee had travelled to Delhi to participate in the protest. In a video shared on Instagram on Friday, he questioned the scale of the security and transport measures. He alleged that the restrictions had created an almost lockdown-like situation in the capital because of the planned demonstration.
In the video, Rathee said that more than 50 metro stations had been closed, trains had been stopped and buses cancelled. He also questioned the need for such extensive restrictions, saying that social media accounts associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party had claimed that the protest would draw a small crowd.
The reported restrictions have an immediate impact on public mobility because metro stations, trains and buses serve as the primary means of travel for large numbers of people across Delhi and the adjoining cities. The report, however, does not provide the names of the affected stations, the number of cancelled services, the areas covered by the internet suspension or the duration of the restrictions.
The detention followed Rathee’s participation in a protest in Bengaluru against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The October 8 demonstration at Freedom Park was also attended by actor-activist Prakash Raj and others. Rathee criticised the Election Commission during that protest and alleged that the revision process lacked transparency and accountability.
On October 9, retired Indian Police Service officer and former Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao wrote to the Union Home Secretary seeking an inquiry into Rathee’s citizenship, visa category and immigration status. The letter reportedly referred to Rathee as being understood to hold German citizenship and sought checks on his passport, purpose of travel, authorised period of stay and compliance with immigration laws.
The report does not include a response from Gurugram Police, Delhi Police, the Union Home Ministry, the Election Commission or the organisers of the proposed CJP protest. It also does not state the legal grounds for the reported detention or whether Rathee was later released. Further official information on the detention and the security restrictions remains awaited.
