New Delhi [India], September 27 (ANI): A controversy broke out in the national capital on Sunday after AAP leaders shared a purported video showing Delhi PWD Minister Pravesh Sahib Singh allegedly slapping a local youth during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held a protest in Delhi’s Tilak Nagar over the alleged incident, with party leaders demanding action in connection with the incident.
Speaking to ANI, Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “In front of the police SHO, that boy was slapped by Parvesh Verma. All video evidence is present, everything is available on social media, and the SHO is saying they will investigate, but no FIR is being registered. We will go to the DCP office and get the FIR registered. If the FIR is not registered, we will sit on a dharna right there.”
Addressing the gathering, Saurabh Bharadwaj said he had spoken to the SHO.
“The SHO called me a short while ago asking if I was on my way, and I confirmed that I was. I asked if an FIR had been registered yet. The SHO said, ‘Sir, I am conducting an inquiry.’ I told him, ‘It happened right before your eyes; what is there to inquire about? It all took place in your presence.’ Yet, the police still haven’t registered an FIR,” Bharadwaj said.
He said the issue was not limited to the registration of an FIR and alleged that failure to take action would encourage “hooliganism” by BJP members.
“It’s not just about the FIR; if BJP members engage in hooliganism like this, even getting caught on camera and while acting as thugs right in front of the police, and no FIR is filed, their hooliganism will only escalate,” he said.
“If Parvesh Verma were to come alone, he would be finished off. Parvesh Verma is a coward; he fled stealthily, running away in fear behind the police,” he said.
He said he was going to the DCP’s office with his colleague and would stage a sit-in if an FIR was not registered.
The victim, identified as Saheb, who handles social media activities for MLA Jarnail Singh, detailed the incident, alleging, “We came here after the PWD department called us to inspect the condition of this road. I showed him how the road surface was breaking apart. When this was pointed out, the Minister couldn’t handle it; he raised his hand against me and his associates and threatened to kill me.”
Saheb claimed that the incident occurred in the presence of police personnel.
“The police were present right there, and all of this happened in their presence. He must apologise, and whatever disciplinary action is required—such as suspension—should be taken. We aren’t just making claims; there is video evidence of everything. Action must be taken. We have lodged an FIR and will pursue further action.”
He further added, “The MLA received a call from the Delhi government’s PWD Minister, Parvesh Verma. We had already been raising this issue for two or three days—and found the Minister already on a site visit. We showed him the problem; he initially thought we wouldn’t be able to prove it. We lifted a section of the road surface—we actually tore up the road—to demonstrate the poor quality of the construction. Perhaps the Minister couldn’t handle the questioning; instead, he snatched my phone and slapped me. Meanwhile, his goons—a group of 10 to 12—stepped forward; three or four of them kicked me and threatened to kill me. Even though the police were present, they helped the Minister escape instead of taking action. The youth of the country demand an answer for that slap; the country will not stay silent. If any evidence emerges that I used abusive language, I am ready to turn myself in for arrest; I have stated this clearly.”
Meanwhile, Delhi Police revealed that a criminal case of assaulting an MCD employee had already been registered against the victim, Saheb Singh.
According to police, the assault on the MCD employee was caught on CCTV at the time. Saheb Singh had previously been arrested in connection with the matter and is currently out on bail. Police also confirmed that Singh manages the social media accounts for local AAP MLA Jarnail Singh.
Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also launched an attack on the ruling BJP in Delhi over the purported video.
In a post on X, Gandhi targeted the government’s approach towards public accountability, stating that the incident reflects the arrogance of power.
“A BJP minister from the Delhi government is seen slapping a young man in a video. His crime? He was making a video. A road was being dug up right in front of the minister, and he had a camera in his hand. This is the face of a power that no longer fears the voters,” he wrote.
Gandhi alleged that asking questions is met with retaliatory action, stating, “Ask a question on the street – a slap. Ask a question on paper leaks – a lathi charge. Ask a question in Parliament – the mic is switched off.”Linking the incident to broader political accusations of electoral manipulation, the senior Congress leader alleged, “These people do this because they no longer fear that elections can remove them. Vote theft buys this – not just the result, but the arrogance that follows.”
“A government that takes victory for granted doesn’t need your consent – it demands your silence and blind devotion,” the Congress MP said.
Replying to Gandhi’s post, the Delhi Minister asked him to “stay out” of the situation.
“Rahul ji, you just stay out of it, bro, you don’t know a thing,” Singh posted on X.
Congress leader Udit Raj further accused the BJP government of corruption, alleging that potholes appear on roads soon after inauguration.
“You may have noticed across the country that whether PM Modi inaugurates a major bridge or highway, or someone else does, potholes appear almost immediately or develop soon after. The situation with Delhi’s roads is similar; work is done only superficially, and the surfaces break apart right away. Perhaps Pravesh Verma felt this corruption was being exposed, so in a fit of rage, he resorted to making aggressive gestures,” he said.
Reacting to the viral video and the ongoing controversy, Raja Singh, the father of the victim, expressed anguish over his son getting entangled in political strife.
“He’s just a young man—he works, he has a job. He’s being dragged into politics; that’s all there is to it. He was slapped. The person involved is the Deputy CM,” Raja Singh said.
Criticising the minister’s reaction, the father added, “If he had just placed a hand on the boy affectionately—even just once—that would have been fine. He shouldn’t have slapped the boy. If there was a mistake, he could have explained it to him; if there was an issue, he could have pointed it out. My son stepped out to work and build a career, not to get mixed up in political games.”
Meanwhile, Pravesh Sahib Singh claimed that the AAP workers hurled abuses at his family and misbehaved. In a video statement on X, Singh claimed that AAP MLA Jarnail Singh’s supporters misbehaved and hurled verbal abuses at his family. He also accused the AAP leader of attempting to extort a commission for a road project.
“When one of their workers started hurling abuses at my family, any individual who comes and does that in such a situation, I did the same. I want to tell the Aam Aadmi Party that you couldn’t do this work, and today our government is doing it, which is why you have a stomachache. But if anyone says anything to my family, or if anyone tries to obstruct our work, causes damage to our property, or demands commissions from our officials—which the Aam Aadmi Party MLA did—this is something we will not tolerate,” Singh said, adding that an official complaint and an FIR have already been registered against the MLA and his associates over the obstruction of public works.
Singh asserted that the Vikaspuri Ring Road is being built after being neglected for 15 years. He accused local AAP MLA Jarnail Singh and his supporters of stalling development and attempting to extort commissions from PWD engineers.”When Jarnail Singh didn’t get any commission, as soon as the road was laid at night, he would go there the next morning to dig it up and make a video showing that corruption is taking place. Today, when I was passing by that route, I told the engineers that I wanted to inspect all the work once. When I stopped there and inspected the work, I saw the work was proceeding very well. The local people told me that this road hadn’t been built for 15 years, and it is being built after 15 years. Perhaps the Aam Aadmi Party is entirely unhappy that all roads in Delhi are being built, including those that weren’t built for 15 years,” Singh claimed.
Adding to Singh’s defence, BJP leader RP Singh said, “When Parvesh Verma went somewhere, AAP workers confronted him there with rudeness and hurled abuses at his family members. Because of that, I think he lost his temper. One should exercise restraint, and before hurling abuses, a person should think ten times.” (ANI)
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