Delhi police detain YouTuber Dhruv Rathee ahead of CJP protest

Ahead of a proposed demonstration at Jantar Mantar by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Delhi Police detained YouTuber Dhruv Rathee from his residence in Gurugram on Saturday morning.

Police sources confirmed that a team of around 50 police officers landed at Rathee’s home to take him into custody after he arrived to join the rally. The planned event has driven authorities to implement heightened security arrangements across the national capital.

Following his detention, the CJP reacted sharply and demanded “immediate release of Dhruv Rathee”.

On Friday evening, Rathee uploaded a video on his X account announcing his participation in Saturday’s protest. A known critic of the Narendra Modi government, Rathee arrived in India from Germany earlier in the week and joined the CJP protest in Bengaluru on 8 October.

The content creator has a massive digital audience across platforms, boasting 19.2 million followers on Instagram, 3.3 million followers on X, and 33 million subscribers on YouTube.

Earlier in the week, Delhi Police denied permission for the rally, citing security considerations and procedural requirements. To prevent activists from reaching the venue, law enforcement officers increased preventive detentions and deployed personnel across strategic locations.

Ahead of the protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in central Delhi, security forces detained over 400 people overnight, while authorities canceled hundreds of trains and shut dozens of metro stations.

Meanwhile, as the CJP mobilized supporters to gather at Jantar Mantar, the Centre deployed over 20,000 personnel from the police and Central Armed Police Forces to maintain law and order.

Source: NDTV (adapted)