I was not detained, I was kidnapped: Dhruv Rathee

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee on Sunday claimed he was “kidnapped” from his residence by people in plain clothes and taken to different police stations ahead of the planned protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi on October 10.

In a video posted on X, Rathee said around 20 people in plain clothes entered his house around 7 am on Saturday while he was sleeping.

He claimed they took him away before he could ask who they were.

Rathee said he was taken to different police stations and was not allowed to contact his lawyer or access a phone for around 22-23 hours. He also claimed he sustained injuries while being taken out of his bedroom.

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“I was not detained, I was kidnapped,” he said, describing his experience and questioning the manner in which he was taken from his residence.

Addressing rumours about his citizenship, Rathee displayed his passport in the video and asserted that he is an Indian citizen. He also rejected claims that he had not intended to participate in the protest.

Rathee was detained at his Gurugram residence ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10.

The demonstration was called to demand the CEC’s resignation over concerns about the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

In the video, Rathee criticised the restrictions imposed ahead of the protest and described the situation as an “unofficial emergency”. He said he would continue to raise his voice on issues concerning the country.

Rathee further claimed that people were monitoring his movements and that he was unable to leave his house.