Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was assaulted during a Jan Sunwai (public grievance hearing) at her Civil Lines residence on August 19, 2025. The attacker, identified as 41-year-old Rajesh Sakriya Khimjibhai from Rajkot, Gujarat, is no stranger to the law.
Delhi Police said he has a history of five cases registered in Gujarat between 2017 and 2023, including charges under IPC Section 326 (causing grievous hurt), Section 504 (intentional insult leading to breach of peace), and liquor prohibition laws. While acquitted in four cases, he remains known to police as a bootlegger and habitual offender often involved in drunken assaults.
He approached Gupta under the pretext of handing over documents before suddenly slapping her, pulling her hair, and pushing her. The attack left Gupta with injuries to her head and hand, for which she required hospital treatment. Security personnel swiftly overpowered the assailant and handed him over to the police.
What Khimjibhai said about attacking Rekha Gupta?
During interrogation, Khimjibhai reportedly told police his actions were linked to the recent Supreme Court ruling on stray dogs in the National Capital Region. He allegedly claimed that the lives of “three lakh dogs” in Delhi were at stake and that he wished to draw the Chief Minister’s attention to the issue. However, officers remain sceptical, suggesting he has been inconsistent with his statements.
Officials now suspect his “animal activist” angle may have been concocted to divert attention from a deeper conspiracy.
Is the attack a conspiracy?
Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra described the assault as a “planned attack” and labelled the accused a “professional criminal.” Police are probing whether Khimjibhai acted alone or as part of a larger conspiracy. Investigators are retracing his movements since his arrival in Delhi, after he travelled from Rajkot via Ujjain on 18 August. Authorities are also in touch with Rajkot Police to gather further intelligence.
What family said?
Police officers revealed that Khimjibhai initially gave contradictory statements. At first, he alleged that he sought justice for a relative in Tihar jail, which was later found to be false. His family has meanwhile claimed he travelled to Delhi to support animal rights activists angered by the Supreme Court judgment. They insist he is a dog lover, but this has not been consistently reflected in his testimony to investigators.
Following the incident, Delhi Police registered an attempt-to-murder case against Khimjibhai under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He is currently in custody and will be taken to various Delhi locations he visited before the attack as part of the ongoing investigation. In the wake of the assault, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has been granted Z-category security, one of the highest levels of protection provided to public figures in India.
In a statement on X, the Chief Minister condemned the attack as a “cowardly attempt” not only against her but also against her government’s commitment to serve the people. She reassured citizens that she was recovering and would soon return to her duties. “Such acts will not deter us from our resolve to serve Delhi and its people,” she said.