‘Don’t call me Dhruv Rathee’: A 14-year-old has a newsroom at UP home, critics nearby, and now an FIR

In a neighbourhood in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 14-year-old Ashwamit Gautam lives a life very different from most teenagers his age. While many of his peers discuss exam syllabi or cricket scores, Ashwamit spends hours analysing India’s economy, politics and the future of opposition alliances – often from a small room he calls his newsroom.

With hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, Ashwamit posts regular political commentary on national issues. Many viewers call him “Mini Ravish Kumar” or compare him to popular YouTubers such as Dhruv Rathee. But Ashwamit rejects the label. “I don’t like being called that. I have a beautiful name – Ashwamit Gautam. I want to build my own identity.”

Inspired by B R Ambedkar, his Instagram bio carries the famous line: “Education is the milk of a lioness – whoever drinks it will roar.” Ashwamit’s videos try to channel that spirit, taking on issues from unemployment and corruption to communalism and caste discrimination.

But his journey is not just about social media fame.

Because of his outspoken views, the teenager has often faced criticism from people in his own neighbourhood and even from relatives. In January 2026, the backlash escalated beyond disagreement.

After a viral reel about Hathras, a complaint was filed against him. The Lucknow police took Ashwamit into preventive custody though he was released soon after considering his age.

Ashwamit admits the experience was initially frightening. “At first I was scared. When you hear about FIRs and people going to jail these days, it’s worrying. But then my friends said – Bhagat Singh went to jail, Chandrashekhar Azad went to jail. These things happen.”

Ashwamit says his goal is not simply to go viral. His dream is to study at Yale University, where he hopes to learn the deeper craft of politics and journalism.

In this report, we visit the small “newsroom” from where a 14-year-old asks tough questions of those in power – and examine a larger question: Is our democracy so fragile that a teenager’s Instagram reel can trigger an FIR?

Watch.

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