New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Surinder Singh was booked for beating an on-duty New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) employee for clearing footpath areas illegally occupied by hawkers, police said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred at 6.15 p.m. on Tuesday when the legislator intervened in a routine checking drive by NDMC employees in the Tughlaq Road area of New Delhi.

Police said a fourth grade NDMC employee, Mukesh, was allegedly beaten up by the MLA when Mukesh along with an official team was trying to clear the footpath occupied by the hawkers.

"Surinder Singh's car reached the spot when Mukesh along with 10-12 NDMC employees was in the process of sanitising the footpath and roadside area occupied by the hawkers," Deputy Commissioner of Police Vijay Singh told IANS.

"Singh punched Mukesh in the face when he continued with his job despite the MLA asking him to stop the drive against hawkers," the official said.

He said the MLA also made alleged derogatory remarks against NDMC employees by saying that they took bribes from hawkers to allow them to run businesses on roadsides or on footpaths.

"On the complaint of NDMC sanitary inspector R.J. Meena, we have filed a case against Surinder Singh," said the official.

The MLA has been booked under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the Indian Penal Code.

Singh did not answer his mobile phone despite repeated attempts to contact him.