Dhruv Rathee detained from Gurugram home ahead of major Delhi protest

New Delhi Police have detained the YouTuber Dhruv Rathee just hours before he was scheduled to participate in an anti-election chief protest in New Delhi. The Germany-based political content creator has previously participated in a protest organised by Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on October 8, 2026, in Bangalore.

Media reports suggest that the 32-year-old activist was detained from his home in Gurugram Sector 56 on Saturday.

New Delhi has initiated a crackdown against the protestors to stop them from participating in demonstrations in Gantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protest was being organised by CJP.

Earlier, the Police denied permission for the protest citing security concerns and procedural requirements.

According to reports, around 50 police personnel reached Rathee’s residence on Saturday morning before taking him into custody. Rathee had announced a day earlier that he would participate in the demonstration.

The YouTuber had returned to India from Germany earlier this week and also attended a CJP protest in Bengaluru on October 8.

His detention quickly triggered a reaction from the group, which demanded his immediate and unconditional release and accused authorities of trying to suppress protests over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.

Rathee was not the only person detained.

Police picked up protesters from different parts of Delhi as security was tightened across the capital. Indian Express reported that around 150 people had initially been detained, while later reports said the number of detentions had climbed into the thousands as police prevented people from reaching Jantar Mantar.

Several CJP leaders were also detained ahead of the demonstration, including some who were reportedly taken into custody after arriving in Delhi by air.

The planned protest was centred on demands for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over allegations surrounding changes to electoral rolls.

CJP had urged its supporters to remain peaceful, avoid damaging property and not breach police barricades during the demonstration.

Rathee, one of India’s most followed political YouTubers, has built a huge online audience through videos on politics, government policy and current affairs. He has more than 33 million YouTube subscribers and millions more followers across Instagram and X.

His detention therefore became one of the most visible moments of Saturday’s protest action, despite police stopping him before he could reach the demonstration site.

As of Saturday, reports described Rathee as being detained rather than formally arrested, an important distinction as authorities continued their preventive action across Delhi.