Dhruv Rathee, a YouTuber based in India, organised a gathering at London's Parliament Square on Saturday, 17 October, urging attendees to voice concerns over what he described as electoral fraud and threats to democratic processes in India.
Police took Rathee into custody at his Gurugram residence on the day of the October 10 gathering in Delhi, which had been organised to voice opposition to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Following his release, Rathee told reporters that roughly 20 individuals had taken him from his home at approximately 7 AM, transporting him through several police stations — an account he described as an abduction. He alleged that the group removed him before he could determine who they were or the purpose of their visit, and later described the experience as an abduction rather than a detention.
Posting on X after his arrival in London, Rathee — who has characterised his earlier departure from India as an abduction — urged supporters to assemble at noon near the Mahatma Gandhi statue, saying the moment had come for the world to take notice of what he terms "vote chor" and what he describes as an assault on democratic institutions. In a post calling on supporters to gather at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square at noon, he also included the phrases "International danka bajane ka time aa gaya hai" and "Jai Hind."
In a posted video, Rathee held up his passport as a way of addressing questions that had circulated about his nationality. Denials that he had ever intended to attend the protest were met with a direct rebuttal from him.
Allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had drawn opposition parties and civil society groups into street demonstrations across New Delhi, and it was within that context of public contestation that calls for international-level action began to take form. Demands that CEC Gyanesh Kumar resign, alongside clashes between demonstrators and Delhi Police, contributed to a wider political tension — and Jantar Mantar was subsequently removed from the list of venues authorised for public protests.
Ahead of the 'Lehra Do Tiranga' march planned for Central Park in Connaught Place, Delhi, on Friday, two individuals were placed under preventive detention. Delhi Police confirmed that Neha Bora, who heads the All India Students' Association, walked free in the early hours of Saturday, while Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the Cockroach Janata Party, was set to appear before the Special Executive Magistrate court. Police sources indicated that Bora was taken into custody near Mandi House and Dipke near Jhandewalan, both picked up before reaching Connaught Place.
