New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was allegedly attacked by a man at her official residence in Civil Lines on Wednesday. The attacker has been identified as Rajesh Bhai Sakariya, a resident of Gujarat's Rajkot. Some reports claimed that Sakariya is a dog lover, and his relative is lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail.
The attacker's mother told the police that he was upset over the Supreme Court's recent verdict on stray dogs to relocate them to shelters in Delhi-NCR, reported NDTV, citing sources. She also said that his son was mentally unstable.
"He had gone to Rajkot on Sunday. He has two sons in the family and drives a rickshaw. His mental health is unstable and he sometimes attacks anyone in the family," the attacker's mother Bhanu told reporters.
It may not be confirmed whether the attacker assaulted Rekha Gupta for being accused by animal lovers of running a campaign against stray dogs. Ever since the apex court's verdict about shifting street dogs to shelters, Rekha Gupta and senior BJP leader Vijay Goel have been facing the heat from several animal activists on social media and in protests in the national capital.
Though Gupta had welcomed the Supreme Court's initial order when it came out, she recently urged officials to refrain from taking any harsh decisions against community dogs until the top court delivers its final verdict that's currently kept reserved.
However, some other reports claimed that Sakariya's relative was lodged in Tihar Jail, and he wanted him to be out of the prison. The police are investigating the exact reason for the attack.
According to IANS, the attacker shouted at Gupta, slapped her, and began abusing her. Sakariya reportedly handed some papers to the chief minister and referred to a court case before reportedly slapping her. He also pulled her hair and slapped her, reported the news agency. The 41-year-old man was immediately nabbed by the Delhi CM's security personnel.
Gupta was rushed to a hospital, and she is currently being monitored by a doctor. Top Delhi Police officials reached the CM's official residence after the incident.
The security has been tightened at Gupta's residence. A detailed investigation has been launched into the matter.
