NRI doctor-YouTuber Sangram Patil detained at Mumbai airport over defamation case

London-based doctor and popular YouTuber Sangram Patil was detained at the Mumbai international airport on Saturday morning (January 10, 2026) in connection with a defamation case filed by a BJP functionary, a police official said.

He said crime branch officials questioned him for hours and allowed him to go after issuing him a notice under Article 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

This article mandates that the police may, in some cases where the prescribed prison sentence is short, notify defendants to appear rather than arrest them.

“Dr. Patil was detained while coming from London. He and his wife were questioned and released after preliminary investigation,” the official said.

The action is linked to a case filed at NM Joshi Marg police station last month following a complaint by BJP media cell officer Nikhil Bhamre. Patil is originally from Maharashtra but is now a British citizen.

The BJP official alleged that Patil was spreading misinformation about the ruling party and making derogatory remarks against its leaders.

The complaint alleged that objectionable content was being published on two Facebook accounts, one of which belonged to Patil, the official said.

The complaint stated that such content could incite hostility and enmity between different sections of society. Police said that the investigation into the incident has been ongoing since the case was registered.