YouTuber Dhruv Rathee alleged that he was kidnapped from his home by nearly 20 people in plain clothes on Saturday morning before a planned protest in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Rathee said he was taken to multiple police stations and denied access to his phone and lawyer for almost 23 hours, according to livemint.com.
Rathee shared a video on X describing how the group entered his residence around 7 am while he was asleep and took him away before he could identify them or ask their purpose. He said he suffered injuries when removed from his bedroom and emphasized that he was not detained but kidnapped. The incident occurred ahead of the October 10 protest planned in Delhi.
The allegations come amid heightened tensions around the protest against the CEC. Rathee is a prominent YouTuber known for his political commentary and has a background in mechanical engineering and renewable energy from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany. His claims raise questions about the handling of dissent and freedom of expression in the context of political protests in India.
Rathee’s video and statements were posted on October 10, the day of the planned protest, drawing significant public attention. The incident is under scrutiny as authorities have not publicly commented on the claims, and the protest proceeded as scheduled in Delhi, according to livemint.com.