Varnika’s IAS father shifted to low-key dept

The Haryana government on Tuesday shifted additional chief secretary (tourism) Virender Kundu as ACS (science and technology), a relatively lowkey department. The move fuelled speculation that the transfer could be the result of Kundu standing up against Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala, whose son allegedly stalked his daughter Varnika in Chandigarh recently.

Vikas Barala, the 23-year-old son of Subhash Barala, and his friend Ashish Kumar, 27, were arrested for stalking Varnika, a city-based DJ.

Reacting to the transfer, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted that the officer has been “punished for standing up to BJP in quest for justice for his daughter, Varnika Kundu?”

Apart from Kundu, the Haryana government shifted out ACS (home) Ram Niwas, replacing him with ACS (food and supplies) Shyam Sunder Prasad.

The shifting of Niwas comes as a surprise, particularly since chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had recently expressed satisfaction over administrative and police measures taken to ensure the appearance of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh before a CBI court in Panchkula on August 25. Disc jockey Varnika Kundu was scheduled to perform for the first time on Wednesday night after the stalking episode as part of the ladies night gala at a bar in Sector 26.

The poster invite read Ciroc Night – Unlimited shots on the house for all women in the house. Music by: Varnika. “I had been performing gigs. The bar’s resident artist is one of the oldest DJs here. He had contacted me. On Tuesday, he sent me formal details and I am going ahead,” she told HT.