2-day police remand for duo

CHANDIGARH: A local court today remanded Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala’s son Vikas Barala and the latter’s friend Ashish Kumar in two-day police custody in the stalking and attempt-to-abduction case. The victim, Varnika Kundu, is the daughter of an IAS officer. Pleading for two-day remand, the public prosecutor told the court that the police needed to reconstruct the crime scene and find the motive behind stalking and attempt to abduct the 29-year-old disc jockey.

Accused Vikas Barala (left) and Ashish Kumar being taken to the District Courts in Sector 43, Chandigarh, from the Sector 26 police station on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTOS

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 10

A local court today remanded Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala’s son Vikas Barala and the latter’s friend Ashish Kumar in two-day police custody in the stalking and attempt-to-abduction case. The victim, Varnika Kundu, is the daughter of an IAS officer.

Pleading for two-day remand, the public prosecutor told the court that the police needed to reconstruct the crime scene and find the motive behind stalking and attempt to abduct the 29-year-old disc jockey. The police also wanted to unearth “how the accused came to know the victim”, what was their intention behind committing the crime and whether they had any criminal background.

Opposing the remand, defence counsel Surya Prakash contended that the accused were not following the girl. “No more interrogation is required as the accused were there with the police for the past four days whenever they asked them to join investigation. It is a media trial and the case has been hyped. The police are acting under pressure. No weapon has to be recovered from them.”

Civil Judge Barjinder Pal Singh, meanwhile, asked them to wait. He went inside his room twice. Thereafter, after studying the case reports, he granted two-day remand to the police.

The accused were re-arrested and charged with attempt to abduction on Wednesday after the local police were criticised for applying only bailable Sections in the FIR. The duo was booked under Sections 354-D (stalking) and 341 (wrongful restraint) of the IPC and 185 (driving by a drunken person or by a person under the influence of drugs) of the Motor Vehicles Act on August 5 and was granted bail. After much hue and dry, the police yesterday re-arrested and added Sections 365 (kidnapping or abduction with intent to confine a person) and Section 511 (attempt to commit an offence punishable with life imprisonment) of the IPC.

Meanwhile, reacting to the development, victim’s father Virender Kundu said, “The law is taking its course. the matter is sub judice.”