New Delhi / Gurugram — Police detained Indian YouTuber and political commentator Dhruv Rathee on Saturday morning from his parents' apartment in Gurugram’s Sector 56, preventing him from attending a youth-led demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
Rathee was taken into preventive custody alongside approximately 200 protesters and activists across the National Capital Region (NCR) as authorities enforced strict security measures to block an unauthorized demonstration organized by the youth group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
Early Morning Police Action in Gurugram
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Apartment Entry: Around 50 police officers assembled outside the Central Park Vihar residential complex in Sector 56 late Friday night. Officers entered the flat shortly before 8:00 AM on Saturday after his family opened the door, subsequently taking Rathee to an undisclosed location in Gurugram.
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Capital Lockdown: Citing the denial of protest permits, law enforcement deployed roughly 50,000 security personnel across central Delhi, shut down mobile internet services within a four-kilometer radius of Jantar Mantar, and temporarily suspended operations at dozens of metro stations and train routes.
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Protest Objective: The demonstration was organized to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over disputed revisions to the electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) program.
Organizers have condemned Rathee's detention as an attempt to stifle public dissent and demanded his immediate release, while police stated the action was purely preventive under prohibitory orders to avert public disorder.