Shock at Jan Sunwai: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta Attacked While Presiding Over Public Hearing

On Wednesday morning, during her weekly Jan Sunwai (public grievance hearing) at her Civil Lines camp office, Chief Minister of Delhi, Rekha Gupta, was unceremoniously attacked by a man who was posing as a complainant. Eyewitness accounts say he handed over some papers and suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her, and caused chaos and panic. Security and the attendees quickly overpowered him and detained him.

The accused was a dog lover who was upset with the dog policy of strays

The attacker, one Rajesh Bhai Khimji Bhai Sakari(a) of Rajkot, Gujarat, a 41-year-old man is now in police custody. His mother reported that he was an animal lover and became upset after a Supreme Court ruling to sweep stray dogs off Delhi's streets and take them away to shelters- perhaps a substantial determination for the act.

CM rattled, but safe; party calls for investigation

While visibly shaken, Chief Minister Gupta is unharmed and in stable condition. Virendra Sachdeva- state president of Delhi BJP-said she was safe but shaken, uttering the security breach was abhorring. Authorities increased security measures at her residence, and senior Delhi Police officials are part of the ongoing investigation. 

Political leaders speak in unison in condemnation

There was a chorus of condemnation across party lines:

●Atishi, Leader of the Opposition (AAP), who said, “There is no place for violence in a democracy,” condemned the action. 

●Former CM and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said that while democracy can tolerate dissent, it cannot tolerate violence, and expressed the hope that the police would take appropriate action.

●The Congress party called the incident "an unfortunate incident," and called into question the safety of both women and public figures. 

●Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa indicated that the incident could be politically motivated and demanded a full investigation.

A troubling example of risks in public life

 This troubling example serves as a troubling reminder of the fragility of public representatives in situations where they have personal engagement with the public (e.g. Jan Sunwai). The implications of this troubling incident raise questions about the security measures that exist in democratically elected systems where accessibility and safety are at odds. As investigations proceed to attempt to determine a motivation and if there was a larger nefarious plot in the works. 

While investigations are continuing, this incident leaves Delhi asking, how safe are our leaders-if they are not safe in their very own home?