Attacker tried to push Chief Minister Rekha, pull her hair

In what appears to be a well-planned attack on Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the accused, Rajesh Sakariya Khimji (41), first tried to push her and then pull her hair before he was rounded up by the security personnel.

The one-minute chaos raised questions over the breach in security of the CM.

As per police sources, the accused visited the CM’s ancestral house in Shalimar Bagh on Tuesday. CCTV footage also surfaced showing Sakariya outside the house. He later entered the house. Since the CM was not available there, her staff gave him the address of the Civil Lines residence.

He then went to a place where he was staying. The next day, i.e. on Wednesday, he reached the Chief Minister’s Civil Lines residence.

Sakariya entered the premises posing as a complainant, reportedly seeking the release of a relative lodged in the Tihar Jail.

However, the police refuted the claims stating that none of his relative was lodged in jail. He was not even carrying any application with him. The police said they were trying to ascertain the motive behind the attack.

Sources said the attacker first shouted at Gupta. He then tried to push her and pulled her hair before the Chief Minister’s security overpowered him. Following this, he was taken into custody and was taken to the Civil Lines police station for interrogation.

The incident took place when the Chief Minister was attending the weekly public hearing (Jan Sunwai) camp at her residence.