The man who attacked Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta during a public hearing last week had travelled to the national capital with a knife and the intent to carry out an attack, sources told India Today. The investigation revealed that the prime accused, Sakriya Rajeshbhai Khimji, initially considered targeting the Supreme Court, but dropped the plan due to tight security before turning his attention to the Chief Minister’s residence.
Khimji later went to the Chief Minister’s Shalimar Bagh residence, where a ‘Jan Sunwai’ (public hearing) was scheduled the following day. According to investigators, he discarded the knife near the Civil Lines area after noticing increased security, but managed to enter the premises unarmed and reach close enough to assault the Chief Minister.
Khimji told police that he went to the chief minister's Jan Sunwai programme to raise the issue of stray dogs. According to the Rajkot Police, Khimji went to Delhi from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on August 19 to take part in a protest against the apex court's ruling on stray dogs.
Additionally, police on Sunday arrested a second accused in the case, Tahseen Syed, a close associate of the prime accused, from Rajkot.
Investigators allege that Tahseen helped Khimji plan the attack and transferred money to him prior to the incident. The two were reportedly in regular contact before and after the assault.
Following Khimji’s arrest, police traced a trail of digital communication and financial transactions between him and Tahseen, leading to the latter’s arrest. Tahseen was brought to Delhi for questioning on Friday. Police said the investigation remains ongoing.
In response to the incident, security protocols at the Chief Minister’s residence have been revised. The CRPF will now oversee the outer perimeter, while Delhi Police will manage internal security operations.
Source: India Today
