Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta attacked during Jan Sunwai programme; accused detained

NEW DELHI, AUG 20 : Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was reportedly attacked on Wednesday morning during a ‘Jan Sunwai’ event held at her official residence in Civil Lines, according to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Party sources claimed that the attacker, believed to be in his 30’s, approached the chief minister under the pretext of submitting documents. After handing over some papers, he allegedly launched the attack.

He was immediately detained and taken into police custody.

Delhi Police Commissioner, North DCP and other senior police officers are at the CM’s residence.

Sources in Delhi Police said the accused has been identified as Rajesh Bhaiji, a resident of Rajkot in Gujarat.

“A person attacked Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta during ‘Jan Sunwai’ today. Delhi Police has detained the accused and is questioning him,” The Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement.

The Delhi Police is coordinating with Gujarat cops to get further details on the attacker.

The incident occurred despite the presence of security personnel around the CM.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva strongly condemned the attack on the Chief Minister. Talking to reporters after meeting the CM, Sachdeva said that Gupta is “shaken,” but she is doing fine.

“During the ‘Jan Sunwai’ this morning, the CM was interacting with the public as usual when a man approached her, handed over some papers and suddenly caught her hand, attempting to pull her towards him.

“In the scuffle that followed, people overpowered him… His identity and other details are being investigated by the police,” he added.

She is taking rest right now and has made it clear that she will not cancel her scheduled programmes, he added.

The security at the camp office has been beefed up and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been informed about the incident, officials said.

Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly and AAP leader Atishi condemned the attack on the CM.

In a post on X, the former Chief Minister said, ” In a democracy, there is a place for disagreement and protest, but there is no place for violence.”

-PTI