Attack on Delhi CM Rekha Gupta a ‘Planned Conspiracy’? CMO Points to CCTV Evidence
New Delhi: A major security lapse rocked the capital on Wednesday when Delhi Chief Minister and BJP leader Rekha Gupta was allegedly slapped and her hair pulled by a rickshaw puller from Gujarat during a Jan Sunwai event. Just hours later, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) described the assault as a “cowardly act” and alleged it was “part of a well-planned conspiracy.”
CCTV Evidence Raises Questions
According to the CMO, surveillance footage from Gupta’s residence in Shalimar Bagh revealed that the accused, identified as Rajesh Khimji from Rajkot, Gujarat, had scouted the area at least a day before the attack.
“The cowardly attack on Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was a planned conspiracy. CCTV footage shows the accused had begun preparations at least 24 hours earlier,” the CMO said in its statement.
Officials added that Khimji conducted a recce, recorded videos of the premises, and then carried out the assault in a premeditated manner. The CCTV clips have been handed over to the Delhi Police for investigation.
Police Action
Delhi Police has registered a case of attempted murder under Section 109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Civil Lines police station. The accused was arrested shortly after the incident and is now being questioned by the Special Cell and Intelligence Bureau (IB).
Investigators revealed that Khimji had traveled from Rajkot to Delhi by train a day before the attack, staying overnight at Gujarati Bhavan in Civil Lines. Before the assault, he reportedly phoned a friend in Gujarat to inform him that he had reached the CM’s residence. Police plan to seek his further remand for interrogation.
Who is the accused and what does his family say?
Meanwhile, Khimji’s family has denied the conspiracy claims. His mother, Bhanu Khimji Sakriya, told ANI that her son was a devotee of Lord Mahadev and had told the family he was heading to Ujjain, not Delhi. She also said Rajesh was a “dog lover” disturbed by the Supreme Court’s recent directive ordering stray dogs in Delhi to be caught and placed in shelters.
“He left for Delhi on Sunday and reached there on Monday. When his father asked where he was, Rajesh said he was going for the dogs,” his mother told ANI.
Past Record
According to an Indian Express report, Rajesh Khimji already has nine cases registered against him at a single police station in Rajkot. These include charges of drunken misconduct, criminal intimidation, and assault. The 36-year-old, along with his father and brother, works as a cycle rickshaw driver in Rajkot.