Chandigarh stalking case
A district court on Tuesday rejected the bail pleas of Vikas Barala and Ashish Kumar, both arrested for stalking and attempting to abduct Varnika Kundu, an IAS officer’s daughter, ANI reported.
Vikas Barala, the son of Haryana Bharatiya Janata Party President Subhash Barala, and his friend Kumar were arrested on August 9 for allegedly stalking and trying to abduct Varnika Kundu on August 5. They had allegedly chased her in an SUV while she was driving to Panchkula from Chandigarh. A medical examination had found both accused drunk at the time. Both of them have denied that they intended to abduct her.
Both were booked under non-bailable offences, including the attempt to abduct Kundu, under Section 365 (kidnapping or abduction with intent to confine person) and Section 511 (attempt to commit offence punishable with life imprisonment) of the Indian Penal Code.
Kundu, 29, daughter of Haryana Additional Chief Secretary VS Â Kundu, had complained to police that the two accused, who were drunk, had stalked and intimidated her and tried to abduct her on 4-5 August night.
On August 5, they had been arrested but released on bail within hours as the police had charged them with stalking and wrongful restraint, which are both bailable offences. The police had not included the charge of attempt of abduction despite Kundu clearly mentioning it in her complaint. The police had said that they had sought legal opinion on the matter.
