GURUGRAM, Oct 10: YouTuber and social media influencer Dhruv Rathee was detained at his residence in Gurugram on Saturday morning ahead of a protest called by the Citizen’s Justice Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in Delhi against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
According to a senior Gurugram Police official, Rathee was detained after police teams from Gurugram and Delhi urged him not to travel to the national capital for the protest, which authorities had not granted permission for.
“However, we were forced to detain him after he turned down all the requests not to travel to Delhi. We would have preferred not to detain him in case Rathee had listened to the law enforcement agencies,” the official said.
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The official said Delhi Police had first approached Rathee at his residence in Kendriya Vihar society in Sector 56, Gurugram, and subsequently informed Gurugram Police about the situation.
“Delhi Police also communicated the scenario with us, after which our teams also reached his home and urged him to comply with the law and help in maintaining peace,” the official said.
Police personnel have been deployed outside Rathee’s residence and will remain there until further orders, officials said.
CJP condemns detention
The CJP confirmed Rathee’s detention in a post on X, alleging that the authorities were attempting to suppress voices questioning the Election Commission.
“The Dictator is TERRIFIED of young people who question its wrongdoings and refuse to stay silent!” the outfit said.
In a separate statement shared through its WhatsApp channel, the CJP strongly condemned what it described as the Delhi Police’s “high-handed detention of Social Activist and Influencer Dhruv Rathee”.
“The arrest is part of an aggressive, citywide government crackdown designed to silence democratic dissent regarding electoral roll irregularities,” the statement said.
The outfit demanded Rathee’s “immediate and unconditional release”, along with that of hundreds of other citizens and student activists whom it said had been taken into custody.
Heavy security ahead of Jantar Mantar protest
Delhi has been placed under heightened security ahead of the CJP-led protest, with more than 40,000 Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel deployed across the national capital.
Barricades and spike strips have also been installed at various locations as authorities prepare for the demonstration, which is being led by Abhijeet Dipke.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise, which has triggered political opposition and protests over the revision of electoral rolls.
Rathee, who is based in Germany and recently travelled to India, had urged people through a video shared on social media platforms, including X, to gather at Jantar Mantar on Saturday and participate in the protest.
