Delhi Police arrested Rajesh Khimji Sakriya on Wednesday after he assaulted Chief Minister Rekha Gupta during her ‘Jan Sunwai’ at the Civil Lines camp office. The incident caused a commotion, though the CM escaped without major injuries.
Sakriya, a 41-year-old resident of Rajkot, Gujarat, is not new to the police. Records show that he has nine past cases against him, mostly for drunken misconduct, intimidation, and assault.
A History of Criminal Cases
The Indian Express accessed police records, which reveal Sakriya’s troubled past. He faced multiple charges at the Bhaktinagar police station in Rajkot between 2017 and 2022.
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In 2017, he was booked for abetment to voluntarily causing hurt and later placed under preventive detention. In 2020, he was booked three times in different months for drunken misconduct. In February 2021, he was charged with criminal intimidation. In 2022, he again faced detention in January and was booked for misconduct under alcohol influence twice later in the year. Police confirmed he had a pattern of violent behavior, often linked to alcohol.
Family Says He Is a Dog Lover
Despite his record, his mother, Bhanu Khimji Sakriya, painted a different picture. She told reporters that her son was a dog lover who got upset after the Supreme Court ordered that all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR should be shifted to shelters.
She said, “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.”
When asked why he attacked CM Gupta, she replied, “His mind is like that. He will hit anyone. He has hit me also and his wife as well. He has mental issues, but is not on any medication. He got so angry upon learning about the dogs’ issue that he almost broke the bed, hitting it in anger.”
Police Reject Other Motives
Some reports suggested that Sakriya might have attacked the CM to secure the release of a jailed relative. But Rajkot DCP Jagdish Bangarwa ruled this out. He said, “We checked, but Sakriya has no relatives in prison.”
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He further added, “According to his mother, Rajesh Sakriya appears to be an animal lover who was disturbed by the SC judgement. He lives in Rajkot only, but has gone to Delhi because of this dog issue.”
A Troubled Man With a Violent Streak
The picture emerging is of a man with a long record of misconduct, violence, and anger issues. His mother admitted that he has shown violent behavior at home, too, but has never sought medical help.
This incident has raised fresh concerns over security at public programmes and the need for better mental health support for individuals with repeat offences.
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