A contentious public road inspection in the Indian capital has descended into violent physical confrontation, sparking widespread political outrage and triggering police inquiries after Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma was captured on camera slapping a young political assistant.
The incident unfolded on Sunday, 27th September, in the Tilak Nagar assembly constituency in West Delhi. Minister Verma, a senior leader within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had arrived to inspect newly completed road resurfacing works. However, the routine administrative visit quickly deteriorated into an aggressive verbal exchange when the local Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA, Jarnail Singh, openly challenged the structural integrity of the construction.
In a dramatic display of poor quality control, Singh knelt on the carriageway and peeled away large swathes of fresh asphalt using his bare hands, arguing that the surface layer was dangerously fragile and lacked proper binder materials. As the argument intensified between the two politicians, Sahib Singh—an associate managing social media broadcasts for the AAP lawmaker—began livestreaming the altercation to official online channels.
Video footage circulating widely across social platforms shows Minister Verma abruptly striking the mobile phone out of the young aide’s hand before delivering a sharp slap to his face. The assault prompted an immediate physical response from the young man, who lunged forward and traded blows with the minister in a chaotic scuffle before personal security officers and bystanders managed to force the two apart.
Speaking to the news agency ANI, Sahib Singh confirmed he had submitted a formal complaint to the police, insisting he was merely broadcasting the civic inspection and had offered no verbal or physical provocation to justify an assault. Delhi Police sources confirmed receipt of the complaint, stating that officers are currently verifying the timeline of events before determining whether to register a formal First Information Report (FIR).
In his defence, Minister Verma published a video statement claiming the shared clip was selectively edited to remove vital context. He alleged that AAP-affiliated individuals at the site had hurled foul abuse at his family, which triggered his reaction, though he conceded that the physical escalation should not have occurred. Addressing the underlying structural concerns, Verma pledged that independent core-cutting quality tests would be conducted to evaluate the pavement’s durability.
The controversy has ignited severe political backlash across the capital. AAP activists staged street demonstrations in Tilak Nagar, leading to the brief detention of AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj by police forces. Former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi both condemned the incident, describing it as an abuse of power, while BJP leaders continue to maintain that the minister was deliberately provoked.
