Attack on CM Rekha Gupta ‘part of a well-planned conspiracy’? Delhi CMO’s BIG claim…

A dramatic security scare unfolded in the capital on Wednesday when Delhi Chief Minister and BJP leader Rekha Gupta was allegedly slapped and had her hair pulled by a rickshaw puller from Gujarat during a Jan Sunwai event. Hours later, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) issued a statement describing the incident as a “cowardly attack” and claiming it was “part of a well-planned conspiracy.”

What does the CCTV footage show?

According to the CMO, surveillance cameras at the Chief Minister’s residence in Shalimar Bagh revealed that the accused, identified as Rajesh Khimji from Rajkot, Gujarat, had been preparing for the attack at least 24 hours in advance.

“The cowardly attack on Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta is part of a well-planned conspiracy. The CCTV footage obtained from the Chief Minister’s residence in Shalimar Bagh has made it clear that the attacker had started preparing for this attack at least 24 hours in advance,” the CMO said.

The statement added that Rajesh conducted a recce of the CM’s residence, filmed videos of the premises, and then attempted the assault in a “deliberate and planned manner.”

The footage has since been handed over to Delhi police investigators.

What action has Delhi Police taken?

Delhi Police registered a case of attempted murder under Section 109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Civil Lines police station. Officials confirmed that the accused was taken into custody shortly after the incident and is being interrogated by the Special Cell and the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

Delhi Police said Rajesh Khimji had arrived in Delhi by train from Rajkot the day before the attack and had stayed overnight at Gujarati Bhavan in Civil Lines. Investigators also revealed that Rajesh phoned a friend in Gujarat to say that he had reached the CM’s residence prior to the assault.

Police are now preparing to seek Rajesh Khimji’s remand for further questioning.

While investigators probe conspiracy angles, Rajesh Khimji,’s family has insisted on his innocence. Speaking to ANI, his mother claimed that her son was a devotee of Lord Mahadev and had told the family he was travelling to Ujjain, not Delhi.

His mother, Bhanu Khimji Sakriya, who lives near the Aji Dam police station in Rajkot, told the media that her son was a “dog lover” and had been upset by the recent Supreme Court judgment directing authorities in Delhi to pick up all stray dogs and place them in shelters.

“He went to Delhi on Sunday and reached there on Monday. When his father asked him about his whereabouts, Rajesh said he had gone to Delhi for the dogs.” the mother told ANI.

According to Indian Express report, Khimji has nine cases registered against him at a single police station — mostly for drunken misconduct, apart from criminal intimidation and assault. The 36-year-old Rajesh, his father and brother are all rickshaw drivers in Rajkot.