A day after Delhi's PWD minister Parvesh Verma slapped a man during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar, police filed a non-cognisable report under charges of voluntary causing hurt against the BJP leader.
The NCR came a day after a video of the incident went viral on the social media. The video kicked up a political storm after it was shared by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on its X handle. The Delhi Police said action was taken on the complaints of Sahib Singh, the man who was slapped, and an assistant engineer at PWD.
An FIR was registered based on a complaint by the assistant engineer, who alleged that AAP MLA Jarnail Singh came drunk with his associates on September 24 and threatened PWD officials. He alleged that Singh abused them with an ulterior motive to "take illegal money". The FIR was registered on charges of criminal intimidation and obstruction of duty.
Deep Dive
What led to the filing of a non-cognisable report against Parvesh Verma?
Why did Parvesh Verma slap the man during the road inspection?
How has the political response been to Parvesh Verma's actions?
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The incident took place on Sunday during the inspection of road repair work on a stretch of the Outer Ring Road between the Janakpuri District Centre Chowk and the Najafgarh Drain.
{{/usCountry}}The incident took place on Sunday during the inspection of road repair work on a stretch of the Outer Ring Road between the Janakpuri District Centre Chowk and the Najafgarh Drain.
{{/usCountry}}According to AAP MLA Jarnail Singh, the victim was a colleague who was recording the video during a road inspection by the BJP minister. The MLA said he had received a call from Verma, who asked him to show the damages.
"I peeled the road off like a carpet and showed it to him. Seeing this, the minister became agitated and, in his agitation, slapped our colleague who was recording the video, and then fled from here," said Jarnail Singh.
Rejecting the allegations, Verma hit back, saying AAP workers were trying to obstruct government officials from carrying out their duties.
The BJP minister claimed that the man abused his family while he was inspecting the road work. The Delhi BJP on Sunday claimed that the man is a “habitual offender” and was previously arrested for assaulting an MCD employee.
A non-cognisable report is recorded when the information relates to a non-cognisable offence. Unlike a cognisable offence, police require the permission of a magistrate to investigate a non-cognisable case. The classification depends on the nature of the offence under the applicable law.
(With PTI inputs)