India’s daughter fights back
Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala’s son Vikas and coaccused Ashish Kumar were arrested on Wednesday on charges of trying to abduct a 29-yearold-woman, the daughter of an IAS officer.
Varnika Kundu, the woman who had lodged the complaint termed the arrests as a “great development”.
The non-bailable charge of attempting to abduct under section 365 of the IPC and section 511, which relates to attempt to commit an offence punishable with life or other imprisonment, had also been pressed against the two.
This is the second time that Vikas and his friend Kumar have been arrested in the stalking case, which has triggered a nationwide outrage and a spate of protests.
The two were earlier arrested on Saturday following the woman’s complaint but released on bail as they had been booked under bailable sections of the IPC and the Motor Vehicles Act.
“We had summoned both the accused and they were questioned for nearly three hours during which many things came to the fore,” Chandigarh DGP Tejinder Singh Luthra told reporters.
“We have decided that against both the accused we are going to press fresh charges; one is attempt to abduct. We have also decided to put both the accused under arrest,” he said.
Thanking everyone for their overwhelming support, Ms Kundu said “if we continue this movement, cases like these will get a lot rarer”.
Mr Luthra claimed that there was no political pressure on the police.
The high-profile case had brought again the issue of women’s safety on centre-stage and also put the Haryana BJP in an uncomfortable position with opposition attacking it over the incident.
The BJP’s Haryana chief Subhash Barala had said that Varnika was like his daughter and assured that there was no pressure on the police from his or his party’s side.
The high-profile case brought again the issue of women’s safety on centre-stage and put the BJP in an uncomfortable position.