An employee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has accused Saheb Singh, the man who was slapped by Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar in the national capital recently, and a few others of assaulting him and leaving him unconscious.
Dhan Bahadur, who said he was working as a helper on an MCD vehicle, alleged that Saheb Singh and some others beat and dragged him following an argument involving a woman in Tilak Nagar.
Bahadur said the incident began while he was walking ahead of an MCD vehicle collecting garbage in Lane No. 16. He claimed AAP MLA Jarnail Singh's sister was preparing to throw garbage from the second floor and that he asked her not to do so as it could fall on a policeman.
According to Bahadur, the woman became angry and shouted at him.
He alleged that three or four lanes later, Karan Singh and Saheb Singh approached him while he was collecting garbage in Lane No. 13. They allegedly accused him of abusing their mother and repeatedly attempted to force him onto their scooter.
Bahadur claimed Karan Singh grabbed him by the neck before Saheb Singh joined him.
"Sahib Singh also stopped his scooter and came over; he grabbed my neck too, and both of them started beating me," Bahadur alleged.
He claimed two or three other men then joined the assault, while Saheb Singh allegedly abused and hit him.
Bahadur alleged that more people subsequently arrived and joined the assault.
"They struck me mostly on the head until I lost consciousness. They dragged me and continued beating me," he claimed.
According to Bahadur, bystanders eventually intervened and rescued him. Police subsequently took him to Deen Dayal Hospital.
He further alleged that some associates of the group reached the hospital and recorded videos. Bahadur said allegations were subsequently made that the BJP or another political party had paid or bribed him.
He denied receiving money from any company or politician.
Bahadur sought to know why he did not receive similar support after his alleged assault compared to the reaction following the incident involving Saheb Singh and Verma.
"When he was slapped just once, so many politicians and others rallied around him. But when I was beaten, dragged, and assaulted, why didn't anyone step forward?" he said.
Bahadur claimed the episode also affected his livelihood, saying he remained confined to his home for a month and lost his job.
He said police had informed him that two people had been arrested, but alleged that when they sought photographs or videos of those arrested, none were shown to them.
The Delhi BJP also claimed that Singh was a habitual offender and had previously been arrested for assaulting an MCD employee.
Bahadur's allegations have emerged after a political controversy erupted over a video showing Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma slapping Saheb Singh during an inspection of a newly laid road in Tilak Nagar.
The video was shared on social media by MLA Jarnail Singh. During the inspection, the MLA questioned the quality of the road work and pulled out portions of the surface by hand. Saheb Singh, who was standing nearby and recording the proceedings, was then slapped by the minister.
