‘Grabbed, held down’: Sahib Singh's lawyer says Parvesh Verma lost cool over corruption question

The lawyer of Sahib Singh, the youth allegedly slapped by Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar, claimed the minister assaulted him after he questioned the quality of road construction and raised allegations of corruption.

Advocate Mankan Deep Singh Bammi said Verma "raised his hand and slapped Sahib Singh just because he asked about the corruption in road construction" of a stretch of Outer Ring Road in the Tilak Nagar Assembly constituency, according to news agency ANI.

Bammi alleged that Verma came to the spot after a video of Sahib Singh raising the issue of the road's condition affected the minister's public image. He said Verma summoned AAP MLA Jarnail Singh, who reached the spot along with Sahib Singh.

Also Read: Delhi minister Parvesh Verma loses cool, slaps man filming him during road inspection | Video

"Jarnail Singh took him straight to the spot where a newly built, wide road was being torn up by a regular guy, layer by layer," Bammi said.

He alleged that Verma, "frustrated by this and unable to get a straight answer", approached Sahib Singh, who was livestreaming the incident on his phone, and slapped him.

Bammi further alleged that around 14-15 people accompanying Verma then pushed and kicked Sahib Singh. "When Sahib Singh tried to step forward and say something to Pravesh Verma, he was grabbed, held down, and prevented from even talking, which is a criminal offence," he said.

The lawyer said he called the PCR at Vikas Puri police station but alleged that the investigating officer neither recorded a statement nor took immediate action.

"But instead of registering an FIR and investigating, the investigating officer didn't take any statement or take any action," Bammi said. "We were made to sit at the police station for 1.5 hours, after which the SHO finally filed a 1.5-page-long complaint."

Sahib Singh had earlier alleged that Verma snatched his phone, twisted his arm and slapped him during the road inspection. He also claimed that people accompanying the minister beat and threatened him.

What triggered row?

The allegations came after AAP leaders shared a purported video claiming that Verma slapped a local youth during the inspection.

Verma, however, alleged that AAP workers abused his family and misbehaved with them. He also claimed that AAP MLA Jarnail Singh demanded commissions from officials involved in road projects, and said an official complaint and an FIR had already been registered against the MLA and his associates over alleged obstruction of public works.

Following the incident, Delhi Police detained AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj, AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar and other party workers during a protest demanding registration of an FIR against Verma.