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. 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.
Instead of registering an FIR against Pravesh Verma, the police is providing him protection,” Bharadwaj said in a post on X. The incident 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 Delhi BJP described the incident as “unfortunate” and said Verma himself had termed his action wrong.
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.
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.
