A day after Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma was seen slapping a man during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar, the Delhi Police registered a non-cognisable report against the BJP leader over allegations of voluntarily causing hurt.
The incident occurred on Sunday while road repair work was being inspected along a stretch of the Outer Ring Road between Janakpuri District Centre Chowk and the Najafgarh Drain. The police action came after a video of the incident went viral on social media, triggering a political controversy after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) shared the footage on its X account. The BJP minister claimed that the man had abused his family while he was inspecting the ongoing roadwork. A non-cognisable report is filed when the alleged offence falls under the category of non-cognisable offences. In such cases, unlike cognisable offences, the police cannot begin an investigation without obtaining permission from a magistrate. The classification is determined by the nature of the alleged offence under the applicable law.
The report was registered following complaints submitted by the alleged victim, Sahib Singh, and a PWD assistant engineer, according to the Delhi Police. “Some other complaints have also been received regarding the incident, which will be taken up during the course of investigation,” news agency ANI quoted a Delhi Police statement. The man who was slapped was his colleague and had been recording the inspection when the incident occurred, according to AAP MLA Jarnail Singh. Singh said he had received a call from Verma, who asked him to show the damaged portions of the road. The Delhi BJP also alleged on Sunday that the man was a “habitual offender” and had previously been arrested for allegedly assaulting an MCD employee.
