Chandigarh stalking case: Vikas Barala issued summons by police, told to appear at 11 am today

The Chandigarh Police have issued summons to Vikas Barala, prime accused in the 4 August incident of alleged stalking of IAS officer’s daughter Varnika Kundu, asking him to appear before them in connection with the investigation of the case, media reports said.

Barala has been asked to appear before the police at 11 am on Wednesday.

The police had made an attempt to send the notice on Tuesday, CNN-News18 reported. However, there was nobody at the Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala’s residence to accept it, which is why the police have said that the accused refused to accept the initial notice. The police then resorted to pasting the summon notice outside the residence of Barala on Wednesday morning in an attempt to send the notice across to the accused.

Barala’s personal assistant later confirmed that the family had received the notice, ANI reported. Meanwhile, Times Now reported that Vikas had refused blood and urine tests after the arrest was made on Saturday.

It was on Tuesday that the police said they had retrieved footage of the incident from five CCTV cameras. The Chandigarh Police, which is probing the case, had received flak on Monday after they had stated that the CCTVs along the route were non-functional.

Opposition parties have accused the police of working under pressure. However, MP from Chandigarh and BJP leader Kirron Kher rubbished the Opposition’s claim and assured the victim that justice would be served.

We have received the police notice( to Vikas). I don't have any other details: Krishan Kumar,Subhash Barala's PA #ChandigarhStalkingCase pic.twitter.com/3oFDsCQaNo

— ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2017

Kundu in her complaint had said that she felt there was an attempt to kidnap her. “To me, it was very clear that that these boys intended to abduct me and even tried to open the door,” she had said in her complaint. After Haryana BJP’s deputy president Ramveer Bhatti  questioned  why the 29-year-old woman was driving at odd hours, the victim lashed out at the remark , saying that it was “none of his business”.

After the incident came into the limelight, the Chandigarh Police was heavily criticised for failing to invoke serious charges, like kidnapping — which is a non-bailable offence under certain circumstances in the Indian Penal Code — in the FIR, despite Kundu’s stating in her complaint that there was allegedly an attempt to kidnap her by Vikas and and his friend.

On Friday night, the 29-year-old victim had called up the police complaining that two youth were chasing her along a stretch of over five km.

Both Vikas and Kumar were released on bail within hours of getting arrested on Saturday, when the case was registered. They were booked for bailable charges: Section 354 D (Stalking) of IPC, 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act (Driving under influence), Section 341 (Wrongful restraint).

On Monday, SSP Eish Singhal confirmed that police were yet to include charges related to attempt to kidnap in the FIR. “We are  investigating  the case with an open mind. If any section has to be added at a later stage, we will do it,” he said.