Man arrested after 'assaulting' Delhi chief minister at public meeting

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has been attacked during a public hearing at her residence, local media reports.

A man, said to be in his 40s, approached the chief minister during a “Jansunwai” (public hearing) and attacked her early on Wednesday.

According to Indian broadcaster NDTV, her security personnel immediately caught the attacker and he is now being questioned.

Senior BJP leaders and top officers of Delhi Police have rushed to her residence to secure the premises. According to preliminary information, the attacker has been identified as Rajesh Sakriya, originally from Rajkot in Gujarat.

His mother who goes by the single name, Bhanu, has said Rajesh is a dog lover and was upset over the Supreme Court's recent ruling to round up stray dogs in Delhi’s National Capital Region (NCR) and shift them to shelters, the NDTV said, citing sources.

To address public concerns, the chief minister attends a “Jansunwai” meeting at her residence every week.

Senior BJP leader Harish Khurana said, "One person present at the meeting attacked the chief minister. Right now, doctors are examining the chief minister. We condemn the attack.

“It should be investigated if this attack was politically motivated."

Witnesses said the attacker came with some papers and approached Rekha. He was talking to her and suddenly attacked her.

The BJP has said it suspects a political conspiracy behind the attack.

Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said rivals cannot tolerate the chief minister's work on the ground and an investigation is on to find out who is behind the attacker.

According to sources in the Delhi Police, an inquiry will be conducted to find what led to this big security breach. Delhi Police Commissioner SBK Singh will monitor this probe.