A political row has erupted in Delhi after a video emerged purportedly showing PWD Minister Parvesh Verma hitting AAP worker Saheb Singh while inspecting a road in West Delhi. Anurag Dhanda of the Aam Aadmi Party asked why an FIR was not first registered over the incident and labelled the incident a “new low in Indian democracy.”
What happened during the road inspection?
The clash occurred when the inspector was checking on the ongoing work on the road in the Tilak Nagar locality. In the video doing the rounds on social media, Verma can be seen snatching Singh’s mobile before punching him when the latter was filming. The clash broke out over an argument over the state of a new road that had been constructed and the behavior of some persons present there during the inspection. Verma denied the allegations against him and said an AAP worker had abused his family.
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Why did Anurag Dhanda question the FIR?
AAP leader Anurag Dhanda took to Twitter and publicly hit out at Delhi Police for not registering an FIR after the video. “Why is no FIR registered if the incident was captured on camera?” He questioned. The matter added to the political fight between the two, with Opposition leaders calling for Verma’s resignation, and the government making a different charge connected to the road check.
What action did Delhi Police take?
Early reports on September 28 claimed that Delhi Police had received five complaints related to the row but had yet to lodge an FIR against Verma. The state later changed the course of the case. Delhi Police filed a non-cognisable report (NCR) against Verma under Section 115 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to voluntarily causing hurt. There was an FIR in the case of an AAP MLA, Jarnail Singh, after the complaint of a PWD official.
What is the difference between NCR and FIR?
There are different legal situations regarding the FIR and non-cognizable report. For a non-cognisable crime, police, unlike in a cognizable crime where an FIR can start a police investigation, require permission from the court to launch an inquiry.
The road dispute behind the controversy
The clash occurred in the context of questions being raised over the road construction quality in West Delhi. Jarnail Singh, an AAP MLA, had raised the issue of the construction quality of the newly repaired road, while Verma and his associates leveled counter-complaints regarding how those who inspect the roads conduct themselves. These versions are still involved in the fight.
