Dhruv Rathee was released late on Saturday after being detained for 18 hours before a CJP protest. Police apprehended him from his Gurugram home at 9.30am. A senior officer said, “Yes, he has been set free.” Authorities kept him under watch to prevent him from joining the Delhi demonstration.
Germany-based YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was released late on Saturday, 18 hours after he was detained and prevented from participating in the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
According to officials, Rathee was released at 3am and handed over to his family. He was apprehended from his residence in Kendriya Vihar society in Gurugram sector 56 at around 9.30am on Saturday.
Rathee kept under the watch of the crime branch officials at one of their offices in Gurugram, the officials said.
“Yes, he has been set free. His family members had arrived at a crime branch office where he was kept detained. Afterwards, he was handed over to them,” a senior officer of Gurugram police said.
“The step was taken after discussion with Delhi police and we were assured that he won’t be part of a group or mob trying to create law and order problem in the national capital amid the situation when prohibitory orders were already in force there,” the officer added.
Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita, a person can be temporarily detained for a maximum of 24 hours before producing them before a magistrate – unless it is under special laws.
"He can be detained again, or further legal action might be taken if he tries to go to Jantar Mantar despite prohibitory orders," an unnamed police officer was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
On Saturday, police stepped up security across the national capital to prevent protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar for a demonstration demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
About 41,000 security personnel turned the Capital into a fortress on Saturday to thwart the planned protest, launching an unprecedented clampdown that saw the detention of 7,000 people and left large chunks of Delhi deserted.
Four former chief ministers and the leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) – a satirical movement that forced the resignation of the education minister three months ago – were among those detained as police cracked down on students, lawyers and politicians, successfully refusing passage to Jantar Mantar. Yet, sporadic protests bubbled up at different points of the city throughout the day, even as police rushed to smother the stirs.
Reeling, the CJP announced a second consecutive day of stirs on Sunday, when the Supreme Court will also hold a special sitting to hear pleas filed against the controversial crackdown. The Opposition – which had brought central Delhi to a halt last week – has already declared fresh protests from Monday.
Some of the most dramatic moments of the day came around 10.30am at the Delhi airport when security personnel entered an Air India flight that had just landed and detained Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das of the CJP – a rare crackdown that was condemned by the Opposition.