Delhi CM attack: Attacker's mother claims her son is 'not mentally sound'

The mother of Rajesh Bhai Khimji Bhai Sakariya, the man who attacked Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday, claimed that her son is not mentally sound and usually attacks family members when he is not feeling well.

The Delhi Police arrested 41-year-old Rajesh on Wednesday after he attacked CM Rekha Gupta during the Jan Sunvai event organised on Wednesday morning at the Delhi CM's official residence in New Delhi's Civil Lines.

The Delhi Police have contacted their counterparts in Gujarat regarding the same, the sources added. The sources also said that 41-year-old Rajesh told the police that he hails from Rajkot. The police are interrogating the man to ascertain the cause of the attack.

Official confirmation on the incident and the attacker is awaited.

Bhanu Ben, Rajesh's mother, residing in Rajkot, asserted that they are not able to provide better medical treatment for his mental health.

"He drives a rickshaw. His mental health is not good. He attacks anyone in the family at any time; he even attacks me anytime. We could not get him treated. His mental health is not good. However, he doesn't do anything wrong with people outside the family. He loves animals and feeds them every day, and also behaves nicely with neighbours," she told reporters in Gujarati (loosely translated in English).

The family headed to the police station to get their statements recorded.

The neighbours had the same thing to say.

Reacting to the incident, Suresh, Rajesh's neighbour, told IANS, "It's unbelievable, he's a very simple and good man. He even used to feed the stray animals here. He used to drive a rickshaw. He is slightly mentally unfit, but he never did anything wrong. He gets angry soon, but at his own home, not outside. Maybe he was drunk."

For the unversed, Chief Minister Gupta holds 'Jan Sunvai' every Wednesday at her residence in Civil Lines.

As scheduled, CM Gupta arrived at the event at 8 a.m. The incident occurred when she was listening to the people's grievances.

When she approached Rajesh, he started shouting at her and grabbed her hand, as per the sources.

This incident is being viewed as a significant lapse in her security.

Additionally, the Delhi Police will conduct an internal inquiry into how the incident occurred despite tight security.

The sources told IANS that Rajesh, during the weekly public hearing, suddenly came out and hurled a heavy object at the Chief Minister.

Chief Minister Gupta fell on the ground after this attack, the sources said.

According to preliminary unverified information, the attacker shouted at Chief Minister Gupta, slapped her, and began abusing her.

Rajesh handed some papers to the chief minister and referred to a court case before attacking her, as per some unverified reports.

A police team, led by Delhi Police Commissioner Shashi Bhushan Kumar Singh, is probing the case.

Currently, the Chief Minister is being monitored by a doctor, after which it will be clear how many injuries she has suffered, said sources.

Following the incident, security has been heightened at the Chief Minister's residence.

Police are investigating the case. Further details are awaited.