"I Was Kidnapped": YouTuber Dhruv Rathee after being released from detention
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, October 11, 2026: YouTuber and political commentator Dhruv Rathee was released late Saturday night after being detained by Delhi Police ahead of a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar, a police officer said.
Rathee was picked up from his residence in Sector 56 of Gurugram as police tightened security in the national capital to prevent protesters from reaching the protest site. The demonstration was called to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
After returning home, Rathee disputed the police’s description of the incident, claiming in a post on X that he had been “kidnapped” rather than arrested or detained. He also said he would share the full account of what had happened.
The CJP, in a post on X, alleged that around 50 police personnel in plain clothes arrived at Rathee’s residence at 8 am on Saturday and took him away.
Police had stepped up security arrangements ahead of the protest, amid reports of preventive action against several people associated with the planned demonstration.
The CJP is a political satirical group that had called for a protest seeking action over alleged discrepancies in the voter-roll revision exercise.