New Delhi: The controversy surrounding Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Verma slapping a youth during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar has taken a new turn. Recent reports have revealed that the young man involved in the altercation, identified as Sahib Singh, already has a criminal case registered against him for allegedly brutally assaulting a Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) sanitation worker.
The political uproar began on Sunday when a viral video showed Verma purportedly slapping Sahib Singh, who claims to manage social media activities for local Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Jarnail Singh. The incident occurred while the minister was inspecting the condition of a road in West Delhi. Following the scuffle, Sahib Singh filed a complaint at the Vikaspuri police station against Verma and his associates, alleging physical assault, criminal intimidation, and corruption in the road construction project.
However, police records indicate that Sahib Singh is currently out on bail in connection with a prior assault case. According to the First Information Report (FIR No. 215/2026) filed at the Tilak Nagar police station on June 2, 2026, Singh and his associates were accused of attacking an MCD contractual worker named Dhan Bahadur.
In his official complaint, Bahadur stated that he and a driver were collecting garbage in Ward 103 when a dispute erupted. Bahadur had asked a local resident to stop throwing garbage from the second floor of a building to avoid hitting an oncoming two-wheeler. In retaliation, Sahib Singh and his accomplices allegedly chased the garbage truck, dragged Bahadur out of the vehicle, and beat him until he lost consciousness. Bahadur later regained consciousness at the DDU Hospital. Based on CCTV footage and medical reports, police had arrested Singh, who was subsequently released on bail.
The AAP has heavily criticised the minister’s public conduct. MLA Jarnail Singh shared the video of the slapping incident online and demanded strict police action, while former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal publicly called for Verma’s arrest.
Defending his actions, Parvesh Verma released a statement claiming that the AAP workers were deliberately trying to provoke him. He alleged that one of the workers had hurled abuses at his family, leading to a heat-of-the-moment reaction. Verma also accused Jarnail Singh of tearing up newly constructed roads to shoot fabricated videos alleging corruption, claiming the local MLA was frustrated over not receiving commissions from government contractors.
With formal complaints filed by both sides and political accusations escalating, authorities are actively investigating the sequence of events that led to the public altercation.