A road inspection in West Delhi’s Tilak Nagar descended into a heated confrontation on Sunday after the city’s PwD Minister Parvesh Verma allegedly slapped a man who was recording the proceedings on his cell phone, sources said. A video of the scuffle has been making rapid rounds on social media, and has also triggered a political storm. The leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded action against Verma.

The confrontation ensued as Verma inspected a newly laid road in the area, where AAP MLA Jarnail Singh questioned the quality of the construction. Singh and other people accompanying him reportedly lifted portions of the road surface and showed them to the minister, leading to a heated exchange between both sides.

Viral video shows confrontation during road inspection

The video footage shared online by AAP leaders appears to show Verma reaching towards the cell phone of a man filming the exchange, and slapping him soon after across the face. A security guard is seen stepping between the duo as people surround them .

According to reports, the man has been identified as Sahib or Saheb Singh. He said he had been live-streaming the interaction involving Verma and Jarnail Singh when the incident unfolded. Speaking about the incident, Singh alleged that Verma pulled down his cell phone and slapped him while the video recording was on. He further claimed that people accompanying the minister threatened him.

Reports claimed that he filed a police complaint thereafter. However, the exact legal provisions invoked in the complaint are not known until now.

AAP leaders demand action

AAP leaders were quick to criticise Verma’s act. Delhi’s former Chief Minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal demanded that Verma be arrested, while AAP’s Delhi chief Saurabh Bhardwaj criticised the minister over the alleged assault.

Jarnail Singh, the AAP MLA from Tilak Nagar, also shared the video and accused Verma of resorting to ‘thuggery'.’ The AAP has linked the confrontation to its allegations over the quality of the road construction.

Verma weighs in on incident

Hours after the incident, Verma reacted to the controversy and defended his actions. As per reports, he said the video being circulated did not portray the entire sequence of events.

He further alleged that there were corruption-related issues involving AAP MLA Jarnail SIngh and said he had visited the area to inspect the road work.

Continuing his statements, he said the man involved in the incident had abused his family. The minister’s account differs from the allegations levelled by Singh and AAP leaders, who have portrayed the incident as an assault on a person recording a public inspection.