YouTuber Dhruv Rathee’s cryptic post after Swati Maliwal’s ‘death threat’ allegations

Popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee rejected “fake allegations” against him on Monday, days after Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal claimed that she had been receiving rape and death threats after the former posted a video over the alleged assault on her by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar.

Taking to social media platform X, Druv Rathee, without naming anyone, wrote that attempts had been made to defame him and that “perpetrators are pretending to be victims”.

“Fake allegations against me, daily death threats, dehumanizing insults, coordinated campaigns to defame me … I’m used to it by now,” Dhruv Rathee said.

“The irony is that perpetrators are pretending to be victims. Everyone knows who is behind all this. They want to silence me. But that’s not gonna happen. If you silence 1 Dhruv Rathee, 1000 new ones will rise up. Jai Hind,” the YouTuber added.

Earlier, Swati Maliwal had alleged that there is a “character assassination” campaign running against her, orchestrated by the Aam Aadmi Party and its volunteers. She said that the situation escalated after Dhruv Rathee posted a “one-sided video” against her.

Posting screenshots of abusive messages received on her social media, Swati Maliwal wrote on X, “After the leaders and volunteers of my party, i.e., AAP orchestrated a campaign of character assassination, victim shaming, and fanning of emotions against me, I have been getting rape and death threats. This got further exacerbated when YouTuber @Dhruv_Rathee posted a one-sided video against me.”

She said the AAP was trying to intimidate her into dropping her complaint against Bibhav Kumar. Maliwal further said that she tried to reach out to Dhruv Rathee but he ignored her calls and messages.

“It is shameful that people like him, who claim to be independent journalists could act like other AAP spokespersons and victim shame me to the extent that I am now facing extreme abuses and threats,” Maliwal said.

Bibhav Kumar was arrested by the Delhi Police on May 18 in connection with the alleged assault on Swati Maliwal at Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence on May 13. In her complaint, the AAP MP alleged that Bibhav Kumar slapped and kickes her multiple times. She also alleged that Kumar gave her death threats.