Leader of Opposition and Kalkaji MLA Atishi, in a scathing letter to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, demanded her resignation, accusing the BJP-led government of turning Delhi into a “capital of crime, extortion, and gang wars” following the brutal murder of 35-year-old Kalkaji Temple sevadaar Yogendra Singh on August 29, 2025. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) intensified its criticism, with former CM Arvind Kejriwal questioning the safety of Delhi’s citizens, citing the temple killing as evidence of a collapsed law and order system.

Yogendra Singh, a 14-year temple servitor from Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, was beaten to death by a group of 10–15 men over a dispute regarding ‘chunni prasad’ during darshan, as captured on CCTV. The altercation escalated when Singh asked the group to wait, leading to a fatal assault with sticks and fists. One accused, Atul Pandey, 30, from Dakshinpuri, was apprehended by locals and handed to police, who registered a case under BNS Sections 103(1) and 3(5) for murder. Another sevadaar, Raju, told ANI the attackers were aggressive and demanding, a recurring issue at the temple.

Atishi’s letter highlighted a string of violent incidents, including the murder of actor Huma Qureshi’s cousin in Nizamuddin, a stabbing near the police commissioner’s office in I.P. Extension, and an extortion-related shooting at a property dealer’s residence. She also referenced the August 20 attack on CM Gupta during a Jan Sunwai, where Rajeshbhai Khimjibhai Sakriya, a 41-year-old Gujarat autorickshaw driver with a criminal history, assaulted her, citing motives linked to a jailed relative and stray dog policies. “If the chief minister herself isn’t safe, how can citizens feel secure?” Atishi wrote, slamming the Delhi Police for “helplessness” under BJP’s “four-engine government.”

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Kejriwal echoed Atishi’s concerns on X, stating, “Didn’t the hands of these miscreants tremble before they brutally murdered the sevadaar? The BJP’s four engines have brought Delhi to a state where such incidents happen even in temples.” Delhi Police data shows a 15% rise in violent crimes in 2025, with 3,214 murder and attempt-to-murder cases reported by July, compared to 2,794 in 2024. Atishi argued this reflects a systemic failure, urging Gupta to resign if she cannot ensure safety.

The BJP has not officially responded, but Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa previously accused AAP of politicizing crime for electoral gains. Gupta, who assumed office in February 2025 after BJP’s landslide victory, now faces Z+ security following her attack, with 40 personnel deployed. The controversy underscores Delhi’s escalating law and order crisis, with AAP leveraging incidents to challenge BJP’s governance ahead of future polls.

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