RAJKOT: Police here on Wednesday identified the man accused of assaulting Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta as 41-year-old Rajesh Sakariya, a resident of the Kothariya area in the Aji Dam police jurisdiction. According to police and his family members, Sakariya is an ardent dog lover and often gets aggressive over the issue of cruelty to animals. His mother, Bhanu, told reporters that Rajesh is mentally unstable and short-tempered, adding that he would sometimes assault her in anger. “Rajesh is a devotee of Lord Shiva. He left home for Ujjain on Sunday. His father spoke to him on Tuesday, when Rajesh said he was in Delhi for the dogs. He was upset about the Supreme Court’s ruling to remove stray dogs from the national capital,” she said. Bhanu added that her son aspired to open an animal hospital and had even approached influential people for support in this regard. Sakariya, an autorickshaw driver, would often ferry injured or sick stray dogs to hospitals in his vehicle.

Deputy commissioner of police (detection of crime branch) Jagdish Bangarwa said, “From preliminary inquiries it seems he is deeply attached to dogs. He came across the Supreme Court’s order on the stray dog issue and believed that the Delhi chief minister would execute it.” Police records show Sakariya was previously booked in five criminal cases at Bhaktinagar police station since 2017, under Sections 326 (causing grievous hurt), 504 (insult to provoke breach of peace), 324 (causing hurt by dangerous weapons) and for violation of liquor prohibition laws. He has been acquitted in four of these cases. A B Jadeja, police inspector of Aji Dam police station, said, “We brought his mother in for questioning to know more about Rajesh’s background and temperament. She was allowed to leave after her statement was recorded.”