Watch: SP press meet turns violent as ex-district chief slapped over seating

Candidate Kamlesh Singh slapped former district president Nagina Sahni, following a seating disagreement

GORAKHPUR: A Samajwadi Party press conference in Gorakhpur turned chaotic on Saturday after former district president Nagina Sahni was allegedly slapped by Kamlesh Singh, son of party leader Anshuman Singh, who is seeking an SP ticket from the Gorakhpur Rural Assembly constituency for the 2027 elections.A video of the incident has surfaced on social media.The incident took place around 2.45pm at the Press Club during a press conference convened by SP district president Brajesh Gautam to brief the media about the party's ‘Loktantra Bachao Saptah’ campaign scheduled from October 2 to 8.

Seating dispute at SP press meet escalates

According to party members, an argument broke out after Anshuman Singh arrived with supporters and sought seating space in the packed hall.The verbal exchange soon escalated into a scuffle, during which Sahni was allegedly slapped by Kamlesh Singh, the son of Anshuman.Party functionaries and senior leaders intervened and separated the two groups. The incident was captured on video, which later surfaced on social media.Anshuman Singh claimed the controversy was being used to tarnish his image and alleged that political rivals within the party were attempting to create unnecessary controversy.

Sahni, however, accused Singh's supporters of misbehaviour, assault and intimidation. He also alleged that some individuals had entered the venue carrying illegal weapons.

SP leaders react to Gorakhpur slap incident

SP district president Brajesh Gautam said the matter would be reported to party chief Akhilesh Yadav and that further action would be decided by the party leadership.SP leader Kajal Nishad termed the incident "regrettable" and appealed to party workers to exercise restraint.

Incident comes amid Parvesh Verma slap row

The Gorakhpur incident comes days after another political slap controversy in Delhi, where a video showed PWD Minister Parvesh Verma allegedly slapping a young man during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar.The footage showed Verma pulling down the man's mobile phone before allegedly hitting him across the face.The man, identified as Saheb, said he had come to the spot after the PWD department called him and others to inspect the condition of the road.

He alleged that Verma reacted after he pointed out that the road surface was breaking apart.Verma later said the video being circulated by AAP did not show the full context and alleged that the man had abused his family. The incident triggered a political slugfest between the BJP and AAP.Delhi Police subsequently filed a non-cognisable report against Verma over the alleged slapping, while an FIR was registered against AAP MLA Jarnail Singh in a related development.The latest incident in Gorakhpur has now added another slap controversy to the recent political landscape, with the SP leadership yet to announce further action.