Police Files Case Against Dhruv Rathee Over Parody Account’s Post on X, Dhruv Responds

Maharashtra’s cyber police have filed a case against popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee following a post by a parody account on X (formerly Twitter) that falsely claimed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s daughter had passed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam without taking it.

This post prompted a complaint from a relative of Birla, leading to charges against Rathee for defamation, intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace, and making a statement leading to mischief, along with charges under the IT Act.

The parody account, @dhruvrahtee, clearly states in its bio that it is a fan and parody account not affiliated with the original @dhruv_rathee account. Despite this, the police have initiated an investigation into the matter. An official told news agency PTI, “We are investigating the matter.”

In response to the controversy, the parody account posted on Saturday, “As directed by @MahaCyber1, I have deleted all my posts and comments on Anjali Birla. I would like to apologize as I was unaware of the facts and copied someone else’s tweets and shared them.”

Meanwhile, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee has clarified his stance, stating he had “nothing to do with this” and explaining, “…this alleged post was done by some random parody Twitter account…”

A screenshot shared by the parody account on Saturday showed a message from Maharashtra’s cyber police. The message read, ‘The Nodal Office has registered an FIR against you, alleging that you have published objectionable content about Ms. Anjali Birla, daughter of Om Birla.”

This incident adds to the ongoing challenges faced by Dhruv Rathee. Earlier this year, Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal claimed she received rape and death threats following Rathee’s video about the alleged assault on her by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide, Bibhav Kumar.

Rathee addressed these issues on X, stating, “Fake allegations against me, daily death threats, dehumanizing insults, coordinated campaigns to defame me … I’m used to it by now,” without naming specific individuals.

The Maharashtra cyber police are continuing their investigation into the matter.