Delhi Police detained YouTuber Dhruv Rathee at his Gurugram home on Saturday ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party protest at Jantar Mantar. A squad of around 50 officers arrived early morning, seizing the 31‑year‑old after he had posted an X video declaring his intent to join the demonstration.
Rathee, a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recently returned from Germany where he had spoken on digital freedom. He boasts 19.2 million Instagram followers, 3.3 million on X and 33 million YouTube subscribers, and had already marched in Bengaluru on October 8 to support the CJP’s cause.
The Cockroach Janta Party, headed by chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, slammed the detention, demanding Rathee’s immediate release. In a statement, the CJP called the move an assault on dissent and vowed to mobilise supporters at Jantar Mantar.
Delhi Police had earlier denied permission for the protest, citing security concerns and procedural lapses. The authorities have deployed more than 20,000 personnel, shut dozens of metro stations, cancelled hundreds of trains and detained over 400 people overnight to prevent protesters from reaching the site.
CJP’s demand for Rathee’s release presses the government to respond; Delhi Police will maintain heightened surveillance during the protest, while a press briefing is slated for Thursday to outline crowd‑control measures.