- CM Rekha Gupta was attacked during the Jan Sunwai programme.
- Accused Rajesh Sakriya allegedly handed over some papers to the Chief Minister before suddenly grabbing her hand and attempting to pull her.
- Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the Chief Minister was “shaken” by the incident but safe.
Delhi Police has registered a case of attempt to murder against the man who attacked Chief Minister Rekha Gupta during a public hearing on Wednesday, PTI reported.
The accused, identified as Rajesh Sakriya, 41, is a resident of Rajkot, Gujarat. According to police, the incident took place during the Jan Sunwai programme at Gupta’s Civil Lines camp office.
The man accused of attacking Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday had five FIRs registered against him in Rajkot city of Gujarat, and is also a dog lover who wanted to build canine shelters, police said.
PTI reported that according to his neigbours, Rajesh Sakaria (41), an auto-rickshaw driver acquitted by courts in cases of assault and criminal intimidation, cared more about stray dogs than his family, Deputy Commissioner of Police Jagdish Bangarva said here.
His mother also vouched for his love for stray dogs, and said he was upset over the recent Supreme Court order about strays in Delhi.
Five First Information Report's were registered against Sakaria between 2017 and 2024 at Bhaktinagar police station, the official said.
While two FIRs were related to assault and criminal intimidation, three were for the alleged possession and transportation of liquor, said inspector M M Sarvaiya of Bhaktinagar police station.
DCP Bhargava said Sakaria was arrested in all these cases, but acquitted in four of them. A case related to liquor possession-transportation is still pending, he said.
"His neighbours told us that Sakaria used to feed stray dogs in his area. Many times, he had taken injured or sick dogs to hospital in his autorickshaw. We were also told that he wanted to build a shelter home for stray dogs and even met an influential industrialist recently to seek a donation," said the DCP.
"Though he is married and has a son, we learnt he was only concerned about stray dogs and gave more importance to these animals than his family," he added Earlier in the day, Sakaria's mother told reporters that her son was not affiliated to any political party.
Sakriya allegedly handed over some papers to the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta before suddenly grabbing her hand and attempting to pull her. Security personnel and members of the public quickly intervened to subdue him, leading to a brief commotion.
Gupta escaped without major injuries. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the Chief Minister was “shaken” by the incident but safe. He denied reports that Gupta was slapped or struck, clarifying that the episode appeared to be a scuffle after the accused tried to pull her
