Chandigarh stalking case: No instance of pressure from family of accused, says victim's father

Chandigarh: The father of a Chandigarh-based woman, who had filed a police complaint against the Haryana BJP chief’s son for allegedly stalking her, said on Wednesday that there “was no instance yet” of any pressure from the family of the accused. The woman’s father, who is an IAS officer, expressed hope that they would get justice even as he said it was going to be a “protracted battle”. “The struggle is going to be not of just these few days, though these few days are going to be critical from the point of view of investigation,” he told media-persons. [caption id=“attachment_3908651” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Vikas Barala. CNN-News 18[/caption] Earlier, in the morning, the Chandigarh Police had summoned Vikas, the son of Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala, asking him to join the investigation following which he appeared before it. Opposition parties have been alleging that the police is trying to shield Vikas as he is from a politically connected family. However, when asked if there was any pressure from the family of the accused, the IAS officer said, “There is no instance yet, not even a hint (of any compromise attempt).” Referring to the Friday night incident of alleged stalking in which Vikas (23) and his friend Ashish Kumar (27) are accused, the IAS officer said, “The place where they (accused) were caught, we could smell from a distance that they were drunk.” He said it was the responsibility of the police to gather all evidence in a fair and free manner. “If they have allowed any kind of dilution or destruction of the evidence, then it really reflects extremely badly and it will shake my faith and the faith of millions of Indians. The entire country is watching what the police is going to do,” he said. “And if the system is not working due to some kind of influence being at play, it’s a big shame. And that is not something, I as a citizen of the country, am willing to live with,” he said. On sections pertaining to kidnapping not being added in the FIR against the accused, the IAS officer said he had consulted his advocate on further course of action in this regard. “I am sure the police will take legal opinion in a fair manner because my complaint to the police carries a heading which says complaint against an attempt to kidnap and outraging the modesty of a girl. We cannot be more clear than that. “So, now it is up to the police to see (whether to add kidnapping and other charges),” he said. Vikas and his friend Ashish have been booked under sections 354D (stalking), 341 of IPC (punishment for wrongful restraint) and also section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act (driving by a drunken person or by a person under the influence of drugs). Both were earlier arrested for allegedly stalking the 29-year-old woman but were released on bail subsequently.