'No place for violence, not part of democracy': Opposition condemns assault on CM Rekha Gupta

According to officials, a man in his 30s, disguised as a complainant, approached the Chief Minister during the ‘Jansunwai’ and suddenly attacked her.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was attacked on Wednesday during a public grievance hearing at her official residence in Civil Lines.

The incident quickly sparked sharp political reactions and widespread condemnation from Opposition parties.

According to officials, a man in his 30s, disguised as a complainant, approached the Chief Minister during the ‘Jansunwai’ and suddenly attacked her. Security personnel present at the venue quickly overpowered the assailant, who is now being interrogated by police to ascertain his identity and motive.

Political leaders across party lines have strongly condemned the incident.

Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Atishi, taking to microblogging siteto X, reacted strongly to the incident, writing,“The attack on Delhi’s Chief Minister Rekha Gupta is highly condemnable. In a democracy, there is a place for disagreement and protest, but there is no place for violence. It is hoped that the Delhi Police will take the strictest action against the culprits. It is hoped that the Chief Minister is completely safe.”

Delhi BJP Chief Virendra, also condemning the assault, confirmed that the Chief Minister was safe and not physically assaulted with any object.

“The police are investigating the identity of the person involved. The Chief Minister’s condition is stable at present. She has certainly experienced some shock, which is causing a bit of concern. I have just met with her. The Chief Minister was not hit with any stone or slapped," he told reporters.

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Congress MP Manickam Tagore, expressing his concern, said the safety of the Chief Minister was the responsibility of Delhi Police. “Any kind of such things we should verify, and Delhi's police responsibility is to protect the CM of Delhi. Hope that the Delhi Police does their duty,” he stated.

Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal, meanwhile, blamed the Home Ministry for the lapse. “It is the failure of the Home Ministry. It should be investigated properly,” he said.

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari has strongly condemned the attack, while also accusing the BJP of fostering a culture of violence. “This is very sad; there is no place for violence in politics... But the BJP is the mother of violence... People are angry with the BJP. Whoever did this should be investigated," he stated.

"But, as the BJP used to say, when Arvind Kejriwal was attacked, they would claim that he himself had done it. So now you have to see for yourself whether this was an accident or they got it done. But I want to make one thing clear: if this attack has happened, then I definitely condemn it and want action to be taken against the culprit,” he further noted.

CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar also expressed regret over the episode. “So unfortunate, I have no idea about that but we never encourage these types of incidents. This is not a part of democracy. We deplore it,” he remarked.

The Delhi Police said an investigation is underway to establish the circumstances of the attack and assured that adequate measures will be taken to ensure the Chief Minister’s security.