Delhi CM attacked at public meet; Gujarat man held for murder bid

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was allegedly attacked by a 41-year-old man on Wednesday during a public hearing at her camp office in the Civil Lines area. The accused, identified as Sakriya Rajeshbhai Khimjibhai of Rajkot, Gujarat, was arrested at the scene and is being jointly interrogated by the Intelligence Bureau and the Delhi Police Special Cell.

The incident took place around 8.15 am while the Chief Minister was participating in a public outreach programme. Police sources said the assailant entered the office posing as a complainant, seeking the “release of one of his relatives who was in jail”.

As CM Gupta approached him, he handed her some papers before shouting, attempting to slap her and then pushing her. He subsequently grabbed her by the hair before security personnel swiftly intervened to subdue him.

“A case under Section 109(1) (attempt to murder), Section 132 (assaulting or using criminal force against a public servant) and Section 221 (obstructing a public servant while on duty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered against him at Civil Lines police station,” an official said.

While the exact motive is under investigation, the accused’s mother claimed her son is mentally ill and an animal lover. He was upset over a recent Supreme Court order concerning stray dogs. The sources, however, stated that the man had no relative in jail and carried no genuine application. The accused had five previous cases registered against him in Rajkot, though he was acquitted in all of them, the sources added.

Responding to the attack, CM Gupta, in a post on X, said it was a “cowardly attempt” to shake her resolve to serve Delhi, but such incidents would not break her spirit.

Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa claimed the attack was premeditated. He said the accused had conducted surveillance at the Chief Minister’s residence 24 hours prior to the attack. In the CCTV footage from CM Gupta’s ancestral house in Shalimar Bagh, the accused is seen roaming around the main entrance and entering it, where the staff handed him a slip with details of the public hearing and the Civil Lines address.

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