Vikas Barala held in Chandigarh stalking case

Chandigarh: Vikas Barala, son of Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala and the main accused in the Chandigarh stalking case, was arrested by the Chandigarh police on Wednesday after questioning. 

The two accused, Vikas and his friend Ashish, arrived at the Sector 26 police station following summons to join the probe into the stalking incident. 

They had been asked to appear before the police at 11 am, but they arrived at around 2.30 pm in an SUV, with the Chandigarh police throwing an elaborate security ring inside the police station complex to keep away Congress protesters and the media.

According to director general of police Chandigarh, Tajinder Singh Luthara, after detailed interrogation of both accused, Vikas and his friend Ashish have been booked and arrested under Section 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine person) and 511 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The two will be produced in court on Thursday and police will seek their remand. The DGP said that the accused will be taken to the place of the incident to reconstruct the scene. Mr Luthra said that there is no political pressure on the police and that it is functioning in “proficient, independent and objective” manner.

Earlier, addressing a press conference at his official residence, minutes before his son reached the police station, Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala said that police should take appropriate action against Vikas if he is named in the FIR.

“If my son is named in this FIR, then the law should take its course,” he said. But, finding media queries difficult to handle.

Varnika Kundu, a 29-year-old DJ, and daughter of IAS officer Virender Kundu, has alleged that Vikas and Ashish followed her when she was driving back home last Friday. She has said that they blocked her way, banged on her car window and tried to force her door open. In a Facebook post she shared, she wrote, “I feel lucky, because I’m not lying raped and murdered in a ditch somewhere”.

On Tuesday, breaking his silence on the case that involves his son, Shubash Barala said, “Varinka is like my daughter”.

After Vikas Barala and his friend were let off within hours of their arrest, because the charges against them — stalking and drunken driving — were bailable, there were accusations that Chandigarh police was under political pressure. 

The police said that the tougher kidnapping charge was not applied because Varinka Kundu had not referred to it in her statement before the magistrate.