Dhruv Rathee alleges ‘kidnapping’ after release amid CEC protest in Delhi: A look at his education, YouTube career

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee alleged that about 20 people in plain clothes took him from his home on Saturday and brought him to multiple police stations. He said he was denied access to his phone and lawyer for nearly 22–23 hours. A look at his education, YouTube career amid his India visit from Germany.

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee on Sunday alleged that people in plain clothes “kidnapped” him from his home and took him to multiple police stations ahead of the planned October 10 protest in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

In a video shared on X, Rathee claimed that nearly 20 people entered his residence at around 7 am on Saturday while he was asleep. He alleged that the group took him away before he could establish their identities or ask why they had come.

According to Rathee, he was taken to several police stations and was denied access to his phone and the opportunity to speak to his lawyer for nearly 22-23 hours. He further alleged that he suffered injuries when the men removed him from his bedroom.

"I was not detained, I was kidnapped," he said, recounting the incident and raising questions about the way he was taken from his residence.

Dhruv Rathee's education

According to Dhruv Rathee's official website, Rathee completed a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, followed by a master's degree in renewable energy at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. He also pursued a second bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science.

How did Dhruv Rathee start his YouTube journey?

Rathee began uploading videos on YouTube in 2014, initially focusing on travel vlogs. In an interview with Al Jazeera published on May 29, 2024, he recalled that his first video was a travel vlog recorded on an iPhone 5s, which took him more than two months to edit.

His interest in political commentary developed later. Rathee uploaded his first political commentary video on September 16, 2016. The video focused on the BJP's IT cell and its alleged use of manipulated photographs, edited videos, fake quotes and paid social media posts to influence online political narratives.

In his interview with Al Jazeera, Rathee recalled that he had initially supported Narendra Modi when the latter became Prime Minister in 2014. However, he said his views began changing after disagreements between the Centre and the Delhi government over an anti-corruption helpline in 2015.

He described the episode as a turning point, saying, "That was a very shocking moment for me. I realised that he was not interested in removing corruption from India."

From solo creator to a team of researchers

Rathee initially managed almost every aspect of his YouTube videos himself, including research, scripting, filming and editing. According to his Al Jazeera interview, he continued working independently until 2020, when he began building a team to support his growing content operation.

Over time, his videos expanded beyond political commentary to cover history, science, environmental issues, public policy and international developments. He also runs a separate YouTube channel, Dhruv Rathee Vlogs, dedicated primarily to travel and personal experiences.

In the Al Jazeera interview, Rathee said he preferred making educational videos and travel vlogs but felt compelled to focus on political issues.

"I like doing my educational videos and travel vlogs more but this is not the time to remain unaffected," he told the publication.

Dhruv Rathee shows Indian passport in the video

Responding to speculation about his citizenship, Rathee showed his passport in the video to reaffirm that he holds Indian citizenship. He also refuted allegations that he had no plans to attend the protest.

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