Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma slaps man on camera during road inspection, Rahul Gandhi reacts

The confrontation reportedly took place during a road inspection involving Verma and AAP MLA Jarnail Singh, who had raised questions over the quality of road construction in the area.

A video of the incident shows Verma pulling down the man's mobile phone with his left hand before appearing to slap him across the face with his right hand. A security guard subsequently intervened as the two confronted each other.

The man was identified as Sahib Singh, who is associated with Jarnail Singh's social media activities. Singh said he was livestreaming the interaction when Verma intervened.

Speaking to ANI, Singh alleged that he was livestreaming the conversation between Jarnail Singh and Verma when the minister intervened.
 

"At that time, I was live-streaming on the MLA's page. To stop the ongoing live stream, Parvesh Verma snatched the phone from my hand, raised his hand at me and slapped me," Singh said.

Verma later offered his version of the incident on X, saying the road inspection had initially been peaceful and that he had invited Jarnail Singh to join him.

He said he had gone to inspect the road leading to a gurdwara along with a PWD engineer because an event was scheduled there on October 5. According to Verma, the road had not been rebuilt for 15 years.

Verma alleged that Singh arrived at the spot with people who abused him and used "indecent language". He said he would not tolerate anyone obstructing development work.

The minister also said that the video being circulated did not show the full context of the incident.

Jarnail Singh shared the video on X and accused the minister of losing his temper while questions were being raised over the road work.

"This is the BJP government's PWD Minister from Delhi, the capital of India. He had come to inspect the road, but upon seeing scam after scam being exposed, he lost his cool and ended up indulging in thuggery with my colleague who was recording the video," Singh said.

Meanwhile, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal demanded action against Verma and called for his arrest. AAP leaders have also criticised the minister over the incident.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also criticised the BJP over the incident.

"These people do this because they no longer fear that elections can remove them. Vote theft buys this - not just the result, but the arrogance that follows," Gandhi wrote on X.

He added: "A government that takes victory for granted doesn't need your consent - it demands your silence and blind devotion."

The incident has since triggered a wider political controversy, with competing claims from the minister and the AAP over what led to the confrontation. Delhi Police has also received a complaint from Sahib Singh in connection with the incident, according to reports.