AAP's Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj and other party workers were detained by Delhi Police during a protest. They were demanding an FIR against BJP Minister Parvesh Verma for allegedly slapping a youth during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar.

Delhi Police on Sunday detained AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj, AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar and other party workers during a protest against the Delhi government and PWD Minister Parvesh Verma over an alleged slapping incident during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar.

The protest was held after AAP leaders shared a purported video claiming that Delhi PWD Minister allegedly slapped a local youth during a road inspection. During the protest, an AAP worker said, "Until an FIR is registered against Parvesh Verma, we will not move from here. Parvesh Verma should resign..."

Bhardwaj Demands FIR, Alleges Police Inaction

Bhardwaj, in a post on X, said, "Whenever the oppressor commits tyranny from the corridors of power, every nook and corner will echo with the slogans of revolution! Under the protection of the Delhi Police, BJP minister Parvesh slapped a young man in broad daylight. The police did not even register an FIR in this matter. When we went to the DCP office to demand answers about this, the senior officers misbehaved with the women activists and arrested me along with hundreds of workers. In the end, who should we now turn to for hope in justice?"

Earlier, speaking to ANI, Bharadwaj said, "In front of the police SHO, that boy was slapped by Parvesh Verma. All video evidence is present, everything is available on social media, and the SHO is saying they will investigate, but no FIR is being registered. We will go to the DCP office and get the FIR registered. If the FIR is not registered, we will sit on a dharna right there."

Addressing the gathering, Saurabh Bhardwaj said he had spoken to the SHO. "The SHO called me a short while ago asking if I was on my way, and I confirmed that I was. I asked if an FIR had been registered yet. The SHO said, 'Sir, I am conducting an inquiry.' I told him, 'It happened right before your eyes; what is there to inquire about? It all took place in your presence.' Yet, the police still haven't registered an FIR," Bhardwaj said.

He said the issue was not limited to the registration of an FIR and alleged that failure to take action would encourage "hooliganism" by BJP members."It’s not just about the FIR; if BJP members engage in hooliganism like this, even getting caught on camera and while acting as thugs right in front of the police, and no FIR is filed, their hooliganism will only escalate," he said.

"If Parvesh Verma were to come alone, he would be finished off. Parvesh Verma is a coward; he fled stealthily, running away in fear behind the police," he said.

Verma Alleges Abuse, Obstruction by AAP Workers

Meanwhile, Pravesh Sahib Singh claimed that the AAP workers hurled abuses at his family and misbehaved. In a video statement on X, Singh claimed that AAP MLA Jarnail Singh's supporters misbehaved and hurled verbal abuses at his family. He also accused the AAP leader of attempting to extort a commission for a road project.

"When one of their workers started hurling abuses at my family, any individual who comes and does that in such a situation, I did the same. I want to tell the Aam Aadmi Party that you couldn't do this work, and today our government is doing it, which is why you have a stomachache. But if anyone says anything to my family, or if anyone tries to obstruct our work, causes damage to our property, or demands commissions from our officials—which the Aam Aadmi Party MLA did—this is something we will not tolerate," Singh said, adding that an official complaint and an FIR have already been registered against the MLA and his associates over the obstruction of public works. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)