Arrest Varnica’s stalking accused

The stalking of Varnica Kundu in Chandigarh by the Haryana BJP President Subhash Barnala's son Vikash Barnala and his friend makes mockery of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign. It proves BJP’s claims of respecting women hollow, false and misleading in the first stance. Varnakica Kundu showed fearlessness, courage, and guts to file police complaint against her stalkers Vikash Barnala and his friend. Vikash Barala’s SUV car followed and chased her car in the night around 10 PM in Chandigarh when she driving back home from office. Vikash and his friend knocked and thumped her car’s front gate to open with the alleged intention of kidnapping. They wanted her to come out of the car. Though Varnica did not directly made allegation of kidnapping against them, it was for the police to make inferences about this from her complaint. Police only filed the case of stalking and as it is a bailable section under IPC, Vikash got bail easily. It was the public outcry, over active media and the bravery of the victim Varnica that the police had to retrieve CCTV footage, which clearly shows that Vikash Barnala's car followed her car for a long distance with the alleged intention of kidnapping her. As Vikash Barenala is the son of ruling and powerful Haryana BJP President Subhash Varnala, the Chandigarh police might have come under his father’s influence and because of this they lodged Varnica's complaint against him under easily bailable section of the IPC. But when media’s pressure increased and public outcry got louder and louder, police retrieved the CCTV footage of stalking of Varnica Kundu by Vikash Baranala. Immediately after the retrieval of CCTV footage of stalking which left no doubt about Vikash’s culpability in stalking Vernica Kundu, Haryana BJP President and the father of the accused Subhash Barala said the parroted line of all ruling party leaders that law would its own course and advocated for justice to Vernica, whom he described her as his daughter. BJP always boasts of character and professes high respect for women, but it is at loss for words to defend itself. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah must ask Subhash Baranala to resign as the party president of Harayana. Haryana and Central BJP give explanation that father is nothing to do with the activities of his son. So, Subhash Baranala cannot suffer because of his son's wrong doing. But one thing to which state and Central BJP leaders have closed their eyes is the influence being wielded by the father of the accused on police to slap cases against him under an easy section of IPC so that he could be easily bailed out. Police would not slap stringent section against the accused because his father is one of the most influential leaders of Haryana. Chandigarh police is under the Centre. Subhash Barnala has also been very close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. So, he must resign immediately as Haryana party president. It will end the chance of favouring the accused. With the retrieval of CCTV footage, which is a clear proof of stalking, the police must arrest Vikash Barnala and his friend immediately under stringent section of kidnapping. The incident of stalking is alarmingly rising in our country. Varnica Kundu is a brave girl. She is the daughter of a senior IAS officer in Haryana govt. Her father has rightly supported his daughter and vowed to take the incident of stalking his daughter to a logical conclusion. On the one hand PM has launched Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao campaign and BJP leaders raise question on Varnica's staying out in the late night on the other. This clearly shows BJP leaders’ narrow and anti-women temperament. Boys and girls are equal in every respect. Any assault on girls must be dealt with the most stringent measure. It is very sad that despite the stringent laws were made by the Govt. of India in 2013 after Nirbhaya rape and murder incident, the incident of assault on women did not come down. It is also surprising that Chief Minister of Haryana Manoharlal Khatter has not opened his mouth on the incident of stalking. Now, the Chandigarh police must be asked by the Central govt. to arrest Vikash Barala and his friend under stringent section of kidnapping so that a message could go loud and clear that howsoever powerful and mighty, the wrong doers cannot go scot free.