Delhi Police Files Non-Cognisable Report Against Minister Parvesh Verma Under Section 115 BNS

A major political storm has erupted in the national capital as Delhi Police registered a non-cognisable report (NCR) against Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Verma after a viral video captured him slapping a 22-year-old youth during an on-site road inspection in West Delhi’s Tilak Nagar. The legal report was recorded under Section 115 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which addresses voluntarily causing hurt. Because the offence is classified as non-cognisable, police officers cannot initiate an active investigation or make arrests without securing an express order from a metropolitan magistrate.

On-Ground Confrontation Over Road Quality in Tilak Nagar

The confrontation unfolded during an inspection of a freshly surfaced road stretch in the Vikaspuri–Tilak Nagar corridor. Local Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Jarnail Singh and his associates questioned the structural quality of the roadwork, peeling away sections of the newly laid asphalt to allege substandard civic delivery. The complainant, identified by police as Sahib Singh—who was recording the inspection proceedings on his smartphone—alleged that the minister knocked down his phone and slapped him across the face. Video footage of the altercation spread rapidly across social media platforms, triggering sharp condemnation from opposition leaders who demanded swift punitive action.

Retaliatory Charges and Counter-FIR Against AAP MLA

Defending his conduct, Parvesh Verma stated that the viral video provided a skewed representation of the encounter, claiming he reacted in the heat of the moment after individuals in the crowd directed abusive remarks toward his family. The minister further alleged that local AAP functionaries were exerting undue pressure on PWD field engineers to extract illicit commissions from road contractors. Concurrently, the Delhi Police registered an FIR against AAP MLA Jarnail Singh following a formal complaint by a PWD assistant engineer, invoking charges of criminal intimidation and obstruction of public servants performing official duties.

Legal Implications and the Road Ahead

Delhi Police officials clarified that because medical evaluations indicated no grievous injuries, the incident falls squarely under statutory provisions dealing with simple hurt. Investigators also noted that the complainant, Sahib Singh, had faced a previous assault inquiry involving a municipal worker. With cross-complaints filed and political temperatures rising between the Bharatiya Janata Party and AAP leadership, the next phase of formal inquiry hinges entirely on whether the local magistrate grants permission to proceed with an evidentiary investigation.