‘Lives of 3 lakh dogs…’: What Rekha Gupta attacker claimed he wanted to tell her

THe adult male accused of attacking new delhi chief government minister Rekha Gupta during the Jan Sunwai case at her abode in Civil Lines on Wednesday reportedly told the police that his actions were driven by objection to the recent Supreme Court order on stray dogs of the national capital region.The man, 41-year-old Rajesh Sakriya Khimjibhai from Gujarat's Rajkot, was arrested on Wednesday for attacking Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta. Police had said he works as an autorickshaw driver in Rajkot, Gujarat, and lives with his wife and two sons.‘Matter of lives of three lakh dogs’The accused told the Police that he wanted to tell the chief minister that it is a matter of question of the lives of three lakh dogs in Delhi, according to sources cited by ANI news agency, who also said that the claim is being verified as part of the ongoing probe.Officers said they Rajesh Sakriya Khimjibhai will be taken to every location he visited in Delhi. The Delhi Police is also in touch with the Rajkot Police.Delhi minister Kapil Mishra on Thursday said that the attack on Rekha Gupta was carried out in a "planned manner" as part of a "well-planned conspiracy", adding that the accused is a "professional criminal" with a history of serious offences.Delhi Police said Khimjibhai is a repeat offender with a criminal record of five cases, under IPC Section 326 (causing grievous hurt by a dangerous weapon/poisonous substance), Section 504 (Intentional insult causing quarrel or breach of peace), Section 114 (being present at the time of offence and assisting), and law related to liquor ban in Gujarat. He has been acquitted in four of the five cases. The cases were registered in Gujarat between 2017 and 2023, as reported by HT earlier.An attempt-to-murder case under Sections 109(1), 132, and 221 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered against the accused in connection with the Rekha Gupta incident. In a post on X after the incident, CM Rekha Gupta described the assault as a “cowardly attempt” not just on her, but on her government’s commitment to serve the people. She added that while she was initially shaken but is now recovering and will soon resume her duties.A Delhi Police officer on Wednesday said Sakriya is usually involved in bootlegging and assaults on known and unknown persons after getting drunk. "We are checking his history and have asked Gujarat Police,” he said.Police said he has been “misleading” them on the motive of his attack.A second Delhi Police officer, who interrogated him, said, “He first said his relative was in Tihar jail and he wanted justice for him, but that turned out to be bogus. His family knew he was in Delhi to support animal activists. His family also said he attacked the CM over the recent Supreme Court judgment on stray dogs. They claim he is an animal lover but he has not said anything about it.”