Agencies | New Delhi:
Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Verma came under political criticism on Sunday after a video purportedly showing him slapping a man during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar went viral on social media.
The incident occurred while Verma was inspecting road construction work in the area, where he and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh were engaged in a heated exchange over the quality of the newly laid road.
The video shows Verma appearing to pull down the man’s mobile phone with his left hand before apparently striking him across the face with his right hand. The man then appears to confront the minister, after which a security guard intervenes and separates the two. Several people can be seen gathered around them.
Voices can be heard in the video objecting to the incident, with one person apparently saying, “How are you hitting?” Another person is heard claiming that the man had been slapped while recording the incident.
Verma later issued a clarification, saying he had lost his temper after the man allegedly abused his family. The minister also claimed that the man was associated with the AAP. These claims could not be independently verified from the video.
The incident unfolded amid a dispute over the quality of road work in Tilak Nagar. During the inspection, Jarnail Singh reportedly pulled at a section of the newly paved road, which appeared to come away easily, and displayed pieces of the surface. The exchange between the minister and the AAP MLA subsequently became heated.
The video triggered a sharp political reaction from the AAP, with party leaders accusing Verma of assaulting a local youth who was recording the inspection. AAP leaders said they would pursue the matter with the police.
The episode comes as the Delhi PWD has been conducting extensive road inspections and resurfacing work across the capital. Verma had earlier directed officials to complete resurfacing and renovation of around 600 km of roads by November 30, with an emphasis on construction quality and third-party verification.
The viral footage has since intensified the political confrontation between the BJP-led Delhi government and the AAP, with the road quality dispute now overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the minister’s alleged physical altercation with the man.
