Abhishek Upadhyay, who runs a YouTube news channel that reported the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, has alleged harassment over his reports on corruption and other irregularities in Uttar Pradesh.

In a series of posts on X, Mr. Upadhyay alleged that a fresh case had been registered against him and a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) filed in Ghaziabad has not been provided to him.

According to Mr. Upadhyay, he was near Shipra Mall in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad when a motorcyclist approached from the rear and made contact with his car on August 18, 2026. The individual subsequently alleged that Mr. Upadhyay had hit his motorcycle, and asked the former to accompany him to the area police post, where the motorcyclist’s complaint was recorded, Mr. Upadhyay said.

On August 19, Mr. Upadhyay uploaded a report on allegations involving an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and two plots of agricultural land worth several crores, purchased in 2023. The report alleged that a school was then constructed on the land.

The YouTube video was removed within about half-an-hour, under provisions for bullying and harassment, Mr. Upadhyay alleged. Following an overnight legal challenge, he said, the video was restored on August 20.

Around 10.20 p.m. on August 20, when Mr. Upadhyay was in Delhi, he received a call from his wife informing him that eight or nine police personnel had reached his residence in Ghaziabad. He alleged that no female police personnel were present. He spoke to one of the police personnel over the phone.

According to the Mr. Upadhyay, the in-charge of the police team told him that a case had been registered, and asked him to appear at the post. Mr. Upadhyay thereupon asked for a copy of the FIR.

At 2.45 a.m. on August 21, 2026, he received through WhatsApp a link to the FIR, which only had a single page, and without details of the legal provisions invoked or on the alleged incident. When he sought the entire content of the FIR, he received another link, which pertained to an FIR filed against him in Lucknow in 2025 “after he had reported the murder of a NEET student” in Gorakhpur. The police towed away his vehicle on the same day, he alleged.

Mr. Upadhyay, through his X handle, has posted 10 stories dealing with allegations of corruption in the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department; illegal mining in U.P.; irregularities in an exam conducted in U.P. by a company under the scanner in Jharkhand; and irregularities in the State Revenue Department.

Congress MP and the party’s media and publicity department head Pawan Khera; Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Sanjay Singh; and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) spokesperson Priyanka Bharti have extended support to Mr. Upadhyay.

“The man who came to the rescue of the faith of crores of Indians and has been exposing the brazen embezzlement and theft of donations from the Ram Mandir @upadhyayabhii is now being hounded and silenced by the Yogi government through an FIR,” Mr. Khera said on X.

“The Yogi-Modi duo failed to manage the Trust properly, failed to ensure accountability, and failed to protect the faith and donations of millions of devotees. Now, when someone else is doing the job they failed to do, they are using the machinery of the state to intimidate him and erect every possible obstacle in his path...,” the Congress leader further alleged.

Published - August 22, 2026 09:44 pm IST