Z-category CRPF security of Delhi CM Rekha Gupta withdrawn, Delhi police takes charge again; One more arrested

NEW DELHI: The central government has withdrawn the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) Z-category security cover of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and handed it back to the Delhi Police, sources said. Meanwhile, another accused has been arrested in connection with the recent attack on the CM.

Sources said the security was withdrawn following an order received by the Central Armed Police Force a day ago, adding that the responsibility has now been handed back to the Delhi Police, which was earlier tasked with the responsibility.

The fresh communication comes four days after the CRPF was communicated to provide Z-category security to Delhi CM following an attack on her during a public grievance hearing named ‘Jan Sunvai’, sources said on August 20.

#WATCH | Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta attended the Bhoomi Pujan programme of Shalimar Bagh Ramlila Committee. (24.08) pic.twitter.com/5MtGA3fNiE

— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2025

The next day, CRPF personnel reached the Chief Minister’s residence to take charge of her security. Additional deployment was then made in and around the CM’s residence and office to ensure round-the-clock protection.

The Delhi CM was attacked by a 41-year-old auto rickshaw driver, Rajeshbhai Khimji, while interacting with citizens during a ‘Jan Sunvai’ event. The Delhi Police later arrested Khimji. The incident raised concerns about her safety, especially given the politically charged environment in the national capital.

Following the incident, the Centre had ordered to shift the CM’s security from the Delhi Police to the CRPF. Earlier, the Delhi Police was providing security to the Delhi CM.

Gupta, who assumed office as Delhi Chief Minister on February 20 this year, has been holding frequent ‘Jan Sunvai’ sessions as part of her public outreach programme. Security agencies had already been reviewing her threat perception, and Wednesday’s incident prompted the Centre to upgrade her protection level immediately.

Meanwhile, the Delhi police have arrested another accused in connection with the recent attack on Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, said officials. It is alleged that the arrested accused, identified as Tahseen Syed, had transferred money to the prime accused, Rajesh Khimji, who had carried out the attack on the Delhi Chief Minister.

Prior to the arrest, Tahseen was detained by the Delhi Police in Gujarat’s Rajkot. “Delhi police have arrested an auto driver from Rajkot, Gujarat, who is a friend of the accused Rajesh. He had allegedly transferred money to Rajesh”, the Delhi Police said. The accused has been arrested and sent to a five-day police custody, and further investigation is under way into the matter.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has intensified its probe into the attack on Chief Minister Gupta, with investigators now seeking dump data of both her personal and official residences. Officials said the move is aimed at piecing together a clear picture of the accused Rajesh Khimji’s presence and movements before and during the incident.

According to senior police sources, dump data — which provides details of mobile tower locations, device signals and call records of all numbers active in a particular area — is being retrieved from telecom service providers for specific time windows.

Investigators are analysing whether Rajesh Khimji was present alone in the vicinity or if other suspicious devices and individuals were active at the same time. The data, police believe, will be crucial in reconstructing the sequence of events leading up to the attack and in establishing whether the accused had any support or acted independently. Along with electronic surveillance, multiple CCTV cameras around both the CM’s residences are also being examined in detail.

Police teams are additionally verifying security logs, visitor entries and deployment records to identify possible lapses, while interrogation inputs from Rajesh Khimji are being cross-checked with technical evidence. Officials said corroborating these findings would help them determine whether reconnaissance was carried out before the incident and if more people were involved. (ANI)