Dhruv Rathee Released After Custody Ahead of Delhi Protest

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was released late Saturday after being taken into custody ahead of a planned protest in Delhi, and he alleged that people in plain clothes forcibly removed him from his home and held him for nearly 23 hours. The circumstances of his removal remain disputed: Rathee described the episode as a kidnapping, while a police account characterized it as a detention. In a video posted after his release, Rathee said about 20 people entered his Gurugram residence at around 7 a.m. on October 10, while he was asleep, and took him away. He alleged that they did not explain the legal grounds for the action and that he was unable to contact a lawyer or use a phone while in custody. Rathee also said he was injured while being taken from his home. He alleged that his parents’ phones were taken and that his parents were physically harmed. These claims about the removal and treatment in custody have not been independently verified in the reporting provided. A police account reported in connection with the incident described Rathee as detained by Delhi Police, but the material available does not establish the legal grounds cited or include detention records.