NEW DELHI: Hours after being released from detention over a planned protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee on Sunday said he would take legal action against those responsible. He addressed a press conference in the evening after meeting senior advocate Kapil Sibal in the national capital.
Rathee said all institutions, including the Election Commission, courts and police, had been captured by “two people”. He described the police crackdown on protesters and the security restrictions across the capital as an “undeclared emergency”.
“This is an Emergency-like situation. But at least Indira Gandhi declared it,” he said. He also accused BJP workers of trying to create a situation “like Nepal and Bangladesh” in Delhi by turning peaceful protests violent. “I believe in non-violence and Gandhi. These people believe in Godse,” he said.
Recalling his detention from his residence in Gurugram, Rathee claimed that police personnel told him they were “under a lot of pressure”. He said he had initially thought he would be detained for a day but alleged that police personnel themselves faced a similar situation daily because of their workload and salaries.
Rathee also responded to allegations that he had received funds from “foreign powers” to protest in India. He said he raised his voice against both the US and China and challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to do the same.
Calling Tesla CEO Elon Musk the “Ambani of the US”, Rathee said he opposed “oligarchs” and questioned why Musk would support him.
He reiterated his demand for Kumar’s resignation on “moral grounds” and said the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition should select a neutral person as the next chief election commissioner.
Rathee said the “andolan” had not died despite the Delhi Police detaining hundreds of protesters and denying permission for demonstrations. “Till how long will they keep Delhi on lockdown,” he asked.
In a video posted on X on Sunday morning, Rathee claimed he was “kidnapped” from his Gurugram residence on Saturday ahead of the planned protest at Jantar Mantar. He alleged that around 20 people in plain clothes entered his house at about 7 am and pushed his mother aside while he was asleep.
