Justice will prevail, guilty will be punished: Haryana CM on stalking case

Hisar (Haryana): Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday assured that the son of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Subhash Barala, who has been accused of allegedly stalking a woman, will be punished once found guilty.

"I have complete faith on the Chandigarh Police. Justice will prevail. The accused will be punished once found guilty. This is my official stand on this matter. This case has nothing to do with Subhash Barala. Such act is highly condemnable if proved correct," the Chief Minister told the media here.

This was the second statement by the Chief Minister as earlier he reiterated that it was not right to punish BJP leader Subhash Barala for his son's crime.

"I came to know about this incident. Chandigarh Police has filed the complaint and I believe they will take appropriate action. This matter is not related with Subhash Barala but with an individual. So action would be taken against his son," Khattar told media.

Meanwhile, the victim thanked Chandigarh Police for rescuing her on time, and pointed out that if she was a common man's daughter the case would not be taken so seriously.

"I was coming back to my home when they started stalking me. They tried to threaten me by trying to stop my car. Suddenly, they came in front of my car and blocked the way. I reversed my car immediately and called the police. Police heard whole the matter and assured me of providing the help. Soon the police came and arrested the accused. I am very thankful to Chandigarh Police who came to my rescue on time," the victim, who is the daughter of an IAS officer, told the media.

The victim narrated the entire horrified incident on social networking site Facebook.

"I would like to share with you all a horrendous experience we went through last night. My daughter was returning home around midnight yesterday in her car when a couple of goons started following her in a Tata safari... They tried to block her car at the traffic signal, but she showed presence of mind and sped away. Chandigarh police was pretty efficient and helpful. They intercepted the goons, were responsive to her distress calls, and were neutral in filing the complaint," he said in Facebook post.

Vikas Barala was arrested on Saturday on the charges of stalking and harassing the IAS officer's daughter in Chandigarh. He was however, granted bail on the same day.

A case was registered by the Chandigarh Police against Vikas and other youth under under Section 354 D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 185 (Motor Vehicle Act) of the CRPC on the basis of complaint filed by the woman.