In a bizarre development, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was slapped during a public hearing at the CM residence on Wednesday morning.
The accused pulled the CM by holding her hand. She hit the corner of the table. Confirming the attack, the Delhi CM Office issued a statement. It said, "Today during the public hearing, a person attacked Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. He was caught by the Delhi Police. Interrogation is being done."
Eyewitnesses and preliminary reports indicate that the man initially attempted to pass on some documents to the Chief Minister, purportedly pertaining to a court case. However, within seconds, he shouted at her, slapped her, and even pulled at her hair before throwing something heavy. The CM lost her balance and fell to the ground amidst the commotion.
Reports further suggest that a relative of the man is in jail. He had brought an application to get him released. The case of the man's family is going on in the court.
The attacker who has been arrested has been identified as Rajesh Bhai Khimji. The 41-yea-old man is a resident of Rajkot, Gujarat.
After the incident, Delhi Chief Secretary and several ministers reached the CM House to know the condition of Rekha Gupta. The CM is undergoing treatment.
The mother of Rajesh Bhai Khimji Bhai Sakariya, the man who attacked Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday, claimed that her son is not mentally sound and usually attacks family members when he is not feeling well.
Bhanu Ben, Rajesh's mother, residing in Rajkot, asserted that they are not able to provide better medical treatment for his mental health.
"He drives a rickshaw. His mental health is not good. He attacks anyone in the family at any time; he even attacks me anytime. We could not get him treated. His mental health is not good. However, he doesn't do anything wrong with people outside the family. He loves animals and feeds them every day, and also behaves nicely with neighbours," she told reporters in Gujarati (loosely translated in English).
The family headed to the police station to get their statements recorded.
The neighbours had the same thing to say.
Reacting to the incident, Suresh, Rajesh's neighbour, told IANS, "It's unbelievable, he's a very simple and good man. He even used to feed the stray animals here. He used to drive a rickshaw. He is slightly mentally unfit, but he never did anything wrong. He gets angry soon, but at his own home, not outside. Maybe he was drunk."
For the unversed, Chief Minister Gupta holds 'Jan Sunvai' every Wednesday at her residence in Civil Lines.
Rekha Gupta became the Chief Minister of Delhi on 20 February 2025. In the Delhi Assembly elections, she defeated AAP's Vandana Kumari by 29,595 votes. Rekha has been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for a long time. She has also been the General Secretary of Delhi BJP and National Vice President of BJP Mahila Morcha.
With Inputs IANS