The Chandigarh Police on Monday night said it has retrieved the CCTV footage that supported disc jockey Varnika Kundu’s charge that Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala’s son Vikas and his friend followed her car in a midnight chase, Hindustan Times reported.
This comes after the police faced criticism earlier in the day for saying that the CCTV footage from five locations along the route had gone missing.
The CCTV footage is an integral part of proving Varnika’s charges against the BJP leader’s son and his friend Ashish.
Speaking at a press conference earlier in the day, the Chandigarh SSP asked that the case not be turned into a “media trial”.
Will Go To Court If Charges Diluted: Varnika’s Father
“I will move court if the charges are diluted,” warned the senior state IAS officer Virender Kundu on Monday, whose daughter, Varnika, was allegedly stalked in Chandigarh.
He added that he had faith that the same police force that saved his daughter’s life would deliver justice. CCTV footage connected to the case has gone missing from five places, police had said on 7 August.
Meanwhile, Barala was arrested on 5 August, along with another person identified as Ashish. The duo were released in the evening, however, as the sections imposed against them were bailable.
Vikas and Ashish, who were arrested from the Housing Board, were both drunk when they were stalking the survivor, police said. Subhash Barala is a sitting legislator of Haryana's ruling BJP from Tohana assembly seat and a powerful Jat leader.
Subhash Barala Won’t Resign: BJP
With the incident snowballing into a massive controversy, BJP’s national general secretary and Haryana in-charge Anil Jain told The Indian Express that Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala will not resign from his post.
“Subhash Barala hasn’t resigned and he will not resign. Let law take its own course,” Jain said.
At the same time, Puducherry lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi posted on social media, saying that the accused should not have been given bail without proper verification.
Congress Corners BJP on Missing Footage
Hitting out at the BJP over the issue, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said:
This is extremely clear that BJP is pressurising Chandigarh administration and hatching conspiracy to protect the son of its political leader. May we ask on behalf of people of India if drunken youth, goons chase a girl for seven kilometers, attempt to block her car and forcibly open the door and try to enter the car, is it not the case of abduction and outraging the modesty of a woman? Why have these offences not been lodged? The Prime Minister and chief minister must answer these questions to the people of country
On the issue of missing CCTV footage, Surjewala said:
Now new things have come out that five out of seven CCTV cameras were non functional. How have they suddenly become non functional? We have lost the importance piece of evidence.
Woman Recounts Events of the Night
The survivor, the daughter of a senior Haryana cadre IAS officer, shared her traumatic experience in a Facebook post. She said the men followed her car in their Tata Safari Storm SUV (HR 23-G-1008) from the Sector 7 area.
She said she was driving alone from Sector 8 in Chandigarh towards Panchkula around 12.15 am (on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday), when the two youth started following her. She said that the SUV pulled up close to her car several times and even tried to block her way to force her to other routes. She claimed that at one point, the SUV blocked her way and one youth jumped out of it and started walking towards her vehicle. While she reversed at full speed and tried to evade them, they continued to follow her.
The survivor then called up the Police Control Room and gave the number details of the SUV. Police intercepted the car at the boundary of Chandigarh and Panchkula.
BJP Must Punish the Guilty: Rahul
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday condemned the alleged stalking, saying the state government must punish the guilty and not “collude” with culprits and mindset they represent.
Gandhi took to Twitter to condemn the incident, without naming anyone.
‘Actions of Son Shouldn’t Be Linked to Father’: Khattar
Haryana Chief Minister Manoharlal Khattar on Sunday said that the actions of a son shouldn’t be linked to what his father is doing, as ANI reported.
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.
Actor-turned-politician Kirron Kher also said:
“Kept Following the Victim and Blocked Her Way”
Deputy Superintendent of Police, East, Satish Kumar said that the youth were arrested and booked under section 354 D (for stalking a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Section 341 IPC (wrongful restraint) was later added against the accused.
Satish Kumar further told the Indian Express that “the accused had purchased two cans of beer and consumed it while driving the Safari that belongs to Vikas’s relative. They kept following the woman and blocked her way several times.”
The woman’s father also took to Facebook to urge action.
As a father of two daughters, I feel compelled to take this matter to its logical conclusion. The goons must be punished, and the law must take its course. As would be expected, the goons are from influential families. We all know most such cases of harassment go unpunished and even unreported. Most people would not want or dare to take on goons from influential families. I feel if people with some privileges like us cannot stand up to such criminals, nobody in India can.
Police sources told IANS that the Chandigarh Police was under pressure from political leaders in Haryana and the central government to dilute the case against Vikas and his friend.
(With inputs from news agencies.)
(We all love to express ourselves, but how often do we do it in our mother tongue? Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL at bol@thequint.com or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)