Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma Says He Was Provoked in Tilak Nagar Slap Row

Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma has defended his conduct in a widely circulated video showing him slapping a man during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar, west Delhi, saying he reacted after a worker linked to the local AAP MLA abused his family.

In a video message, Verma said, "When one of his workers started abusing my family, I reacted in anger the way anyone naturally would." He was referring to Jarnail Singh, the Aam Aadmi Party MLA who represents Tilak Nagar.

The footage shows Verma walking alongside Jarnail Singh, who is holding large chunks of broken road surface, while Sahib Singh records them on a phone. The minister pulls down the phone and slaps the man. A voice off-camera is heard remarking that the slap was delivered while the video was being recorded.

Verma alleged that the AAP was promoting the clip and accused the MLA of corruption, urging people to "understand the truth behind the video". He claimed Jarnail Singh had for days pressured Public Works Department engineers to connect him with a contractor so he could obtain a commission, and that a PWD engineer had filed a complaint at a police station seeking an FIR.

The minister further alleged that whenever roads were laid at night, the MLA would arrive the next morning, dig them up, record videos alleging poor quality or corruption, and post them online. Verma said he visited the Tilak Nagar site himself, found the work proceeding well, and was told by residents that the road had not been built in 15 years. He said he called the MLA three times and waited about 45 minutes.

Before the confrontation escalated, the two had traded barbs over construction quality. Jarnail Singh peeled away pieces of the freshly laid road, saying the work was being done under a BJP government and accusing the minister of trying to get their videos deleted. Verma countered that the AAP had not built the road in 15 years, while the MLA warned the surface would not last long.

Sahib Singh told reporters he had filed a complaint against the minister. He said he was live-streaming on the MLA's page when Verma snatched his phone, raised a hand at him and slapped him, and that security personnel pushed him and threatened him. He said he had named those who threatened him and that further action rested with the police, adding that action should be taken because Verma is a serving minister.