New Delhi: Delhi Police has received a complaint against PWD Minister Parvesh Verma over allegations that he slapped a man who was recording a road inspection in Tilak Nagar on Sunday. Police sources said the complainant is the same person who was allegedly slapped by the minister.
The complaint was received at Vikaspuri Police Station, and police are verifying the facts, an officer said.
The complainant, identified as Saheb Singh, had earlier said he was associated with Tilak Nagar AAP MLA Jarnail Singh and handled the MLA's social media accounts.
The incident, captured in a video shared by AAP leaders on social media, took place while Verma was inspecting a newly laid road in the area. Jarnail Singh, who was present at the spot, questioned the quality of the work and pulled out portions of the road surface by hand. A man standing nearby and recording the proceedings was then allegedly slapped by Verma. The video shows Verma pushing down the man's mobile phone before appearing to slap him across the face.
Singh alleged that Verma snatched his phone before slapping him and that the minister's security personnel and others accompanying him also misbehaved with him.
“I was recording a video when Parvesh Verma snatched my phone and raised his hand at me, which is clearly visible in the video. His security personnel held my hand and grabbed me by the neck, trying to press it, and pulled me away. Three to four BJP workers were also with him. They also misbehaved with me, raised their hands at me and threatened to kill me,” Singh said.
AAP demands Verma's arrest
The incident triggered demands from AAP leaders for Verma's arrest, with party chief Arvind Kejriwal alleging that the minister lost his composure after local residents questioned the quality of the road.
Kejriwal, the former Delhi chief minister, shared the video on X and said he would visit Tilak Nagar on Monday to inspect the road.
“A minister in Modi's government publicly slapped a young man for highlighting corruption in road construction. I will visit Tilak Nagar tomorrow to inspect this road… Arrest the minister,” Kejriwal said on X.
Other AAP leaders, including Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj, also criticised Verma and demanded action against him.
Verma says AAP workers abused his family
Verma, however, said the video being circulated did not show the full context of the incident and alleged that AAP workers had abused him and his family.
“When his (AAP MLA's) worker abused my family, I did what any person would do after getting angry,” the minister said in a video message posted by the Delhi BJP on X.
Verma also alleged that Jarnail Singh and his supporters had obstructed government work and accused the MLA of seeking a commission in connection with the road project. These allegations were rejected by the AAP.
BJP calls complainant a habitual offender
In a statement, BJP media head Praveen Shankar Kapoor claimed that Jarnail Singh had brought around 50 AAP workers to the inspection and accused them of behaving in an “indecent and uncivilised manner”.
Earlier, Verma had alleged that Singh, whom he identified as an aide of Jarnail Singh, abused his family while he was inspecting the road work.
The BJP also alleged that Sahib Singh was a “habitual offender” and claimed that a case had earlier been registered against him for allegedly assaulting an MCD employee, following which he was arrested.
“What happened in Vikaspuri was wrong, and the PWD minister has also admitted it. We all regret it. But MLA Jarnail Singh should explain why, despite being informed in advance by the minister, he arrived 45 minutes late and why he came with a crowd?” Kapoor asked.
He further alleged that Jarnail Singh had “deliberately provoked” Verma and compared the incident with previous allegations involving AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and the Delhi chief secretary and an AAP MP.
