New Delhi: Delhi deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma has been accused of assaulting a traffic inspector who waved down his vehicle for a traffic violation.
Verma, a popular police officer with nearly 95,000 Twitter followers and a reputation for prompt responses to citizen complaints on social media, has denied the allegation.
According to Delhi traffic police inspector Karamvir Singh, the incident occurred in the national capital’s Tughlak Road area on 10 March, when he intercepted the DCP’s car around 9.15 pm for allegedly being driven on the wrong side of the road.
“At 9.15 pm, the DCP’s car… (SUV) with a Punjab number and a government car were seen driving on the wrong side of the road, causing a traffic jam,” reads Singh’s complaint, which has been accessed by ThePrint.
According to the complaint, when Singh confronted the driver of the SUV, the latter insulted him and said the vehicle “belongs to DCP Madhur Verma and will be driven like this only”.
Around 11.20 pm, Singh added, he was summoned to the Tughlak Road Police Station, where DCP Verma “was waiting” for him.
“He (Verma) took my phone away and began abusing me,” Singh says in his written complaint.
“I protested and he started hitting me. When I objected repeatedly, he started thrashing me with both hands,” the complaint states.
When the blows stopped, Verma allegedly told the station house officer to lodge an FIR against Singh and put him behind bars, the complaint says.
Also read: Video shows 28-year-old man dragged out of UP police van, lynched by mob
‘Fake allegation’
When asked about the allegations, Verma told ThePrint that they were “fake”.
“He is trying to spin the complaint. On 10 March, he abused and thrashed two junior police officers,” he added.
“It’s because of this that departmental action was called against him. By writing this, he’s trying to divert attention,” Verma said. “It’s a completely fake complaint without any basis.”
Singh, however, stood by his account.
“I’ve submitted a formal complaint on the matter and now it’s up to the higher authorities to decide the course of action,” he told ThePrint.
“It’s my right to file this report. I was doing my duty, and it’s not right that this action was taken against me,” he added.
Also read: For 5 yrs, Delhi Police didn’t act on cop who shot dead biker. But a mom wouldn’t let go