Chandigarh stalking case: Vikas Barala sent to judicial custody till August 25

Chandigarh: Chandigarh stalking case accused Vikas Barala, son of BJP’s Haryana unit president Subhash Barala, and his friend Ashish Kumar were on Saturday sent to judicial custody till August 25 by a court here.

Duty magistrate Gaurav Datta sent the two accused to judicial custody at the end of their two-day police remand, during which investigators involved the two to recreate the crime scene.

Vikas Barala, 23, and Kumar, 27, were arrested on August 5 on charges of stalking and harassing IAS officer’s daughter Varnika Kundu but were granted bail the same day.

They were re-arrested on August 9 and charged with attempted abduction under Section 365 of the IPC and Section 511, which relates to an attempt to commit an offence punishable with life or other imprisonment.

On Friday night, women protesters took out a march to drive home the message that they were “free to move around at any time”. Soon after Ms Kundu complained against Vikas Barala, BJP state vice-president Ramveer Bhatti questioned the victim for being out after 12 in the night. He said that it was the parents’ responsibility to ensure that their daughters do not roam outside late at night.

Starting at 11 pm from Chandigarh Rose Garden in Sector 16, the women protesters marched through Sector 10 and 11 in an attempt to “reclaim the streets from stalkers and goons”.

The protesters held candles, posters and placards to highlight the harassment, lewd gestures and molestation faced by women.