As a political row intensified over Delhi minister Parvesh Verma allegedly slapping a man during a road inspection in Vikaspuri on Sunday, a senior Delhi Police official on Monday said they were yet to register a first information report (FIR) over the incident.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Saurabh Bhardwaj, Jarnail Singh and Kuldeep Kumar, who led a protest in west Delhi to seek registration of FIR against the minister, were taken away. “We are locked up in Jafar Pur Kalan police station with Raja Singh and his son Saheb Singh. Instead of registering an FIR against Pravesh Verma, the police is providing him protection,” Bharadwaj said in a post on X.
On Monday morning, the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also waded into the controversy. Kharge said when arrogance of power reaches its peak, oppression and humiliation of the people become a habit. “Delhi’s ministers are slapping youth. Under Amit Shah’s watch, youth were baton-charged at Jantar Mantar. Before that, a minister’s son ran over farmers with his car. A central minister said, ‘goli maro’,” Kharge said in his post in Hindi on X.
The incident
Verma landed in controversy on Sunday when he allegedly slapped a man, later identified as AAP Saheb Singh, who was recording his visit while others questioned the minister over the quality of road construction. In one clip, AAP legislator Jarnail Singh is seen pulling out chunks of the newly laid road surface with his hands and showing them to Verma.
Later, Verma is seen pushing down the hands of another man recording him before appearing to slap him. People at the spot then intervene and separate the two.
As the video clips turned up on social media, Verma sought to defend his actions in a video posted on X, alleging that AAP workers had abused his family. “When one of his (MLA Jarnail Singh) workers started hurling abuses at my family, I reacted just as anyone would in the heat of the moment,” Verma said.
Verma also alleged that Singh damaged the road because he was not receiving any “commission” from PWD workers at the site.
Jarnail Singh has rejected the charge, insisting that the government was cooking up allegations because he had exposed them.
PWD engineers, contractors also file complaint
Police said PWD engineers and the contractor have submitted two complaints alleging that Singh had tried to forcibly stop work on September 24 and “illegally demanded money”. The complaints sent to the police on Sunday, alleged that Singh and his team damaged the newly laid road and sought an FIR against them for obstructing public work and criminal intimidation. HT has reviewed a copy of the complaints received by the police on Sunday.
The Delhi BJP described the incident as “unfortunate” and said Verma himself had termed his action wrong. BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor, however, questioned Jarnail Singh’s conduct, saying he had arrived with supporters despite being informed about the inspection in advance.
