Dhruv Rathee's visa status, citizenship to be scrutinised? Why Ex-Bengaluru Police chief Bhaskar Rao seeks verification

Former Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao asked the Union Home Ministry to verify YouTuber Dhruv Rathee’s citizenship, immigration status and visa compliance after Rathee attended an anti-SIR protest in Bengaluru on October 8. 

Former Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao has approached the Union Home Ministry, seeking verification of YouTuber Dhruv Rathee's citizenship, immigration status and adherence to visa rules after his participation in an anti-SIR protest in Bengaluru on October 8.

Rathee attended a protest titled the 'people's tribunal' at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Thursday. Organised by civil society groups and the CJP, the demonstration opposed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Actor Prakash Raj and Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke were also present at the protest.

In a communication addressed to the Union Home Secretary, Rao alleged Rathee, who is believed to be a German citizen, joined actor-activist Prakash Raj and other participants at the demonstration. The protesters also criticised the Election Commission of India (ECI) over its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

What did Rao say?

Rao, who contested the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections unsuccessfully as a BJP candidate from Chamarajpet, posted the letter on his X account.

"The limited and specific issue requiring examination is whether a foreign national, while present in India on the basis of a particular visa, immigration permission or other status, is legally entitled to participate in, address or otherwise associate himself with an organised political protest concerning the functioning of India's constitutional and statutory institutions," Rao stated in the letter.

Rao called on the ministry to establish Rathee's current citizenship and nationality, identify the passport he used to enter India and determine the visa category or other authorisation under which he is residing in the country. He also sought verification of the stated purpose of Rathee's visit and the terms governing his stay.

Additionally, he asked the authorities to assess whether Rathee was legally permitted to attend and address the protest under existing visa and immigration rules, and whether such participation required any advance approval or clearance.

Rao said that if the inquiry found any breach of the Foreigners Act, 1946, visa conditions, immigration regulations, Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) rules or other relevant laws, the authorities should take appropriate legal action.

He stressed that his complaint was not driven by any opposition to Rathee's political opinions or his criticism of the government or the Election Commission. He said the representation was aimed at ensuring that foreign nationals adhere to the laws regulating their stay and activities in India.

Rao further requested that the authorities retain and review relevant immigration documents and entry-exit records to enable an independent assessment of the matter.

About the Author

Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X