Chandigarh Stalking Case : A Review

The recent emerging case of Haryana BJP Chief Subhash Barala’s son’s involvement in stalking of IAS officer’s daughter in Chandigarh has once again put up a question mark that how credible are our leaders and how efficiently are they putting their effort to run the democratic setup of India.

The ongoing situation of the political scenario in the country over Stalking Case truly resounds the meaning of the proverb “Might is Right”. The BJP-led NDA had always promised to bring “Achche Din”, but this controversial case shows the commitment and dedication of our nation’s leaders. Instead of that, while climbing up to become more powerful, the leaders cannot even take the course of law and present the accused to a trial. Moreover they have, as the case progressed, taken side of the accused and tried to demonize the victim by using social media as such that the victim herself was of low caliber. Someone posted pictures which purports to be taken while the victim was in an inebriated condition.

One of the clues to find out the accused guilty was CCTV footage from the nearby cameras of the incident place. But to everyone’s wonder the police at first asserted that there was no CCTV footage available for the incident, but later found them that too not much clear to make out the accused easily.

Whole of the party leaders were present at the police station to get the accused Vikas Barala released on bail as he was booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 354 D (stalking) and Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act (driving by a drunken person or by a person under the influence of drugs) , Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 365 (kidnapping) and 511 (attempt to commit offences punishable with imprisonment). Moreover they pressed further to demand the cases be dropped. Serious charges like Sections 341, 365 and 511 were dropped by the police resulting from the political pressure exerted upon them. Such was the pressure that the officials had to put their phones on silent mode or switch it off. It did stop only when the accused was granted bail.

So as the time passed, the controversy became a political game to blame one and each other for misleading the masses. Demands were put forward by several opposition leaders to bring the accused and the victim to justice. And the victim’s father too strived for justice. After all this drama, when the Haryana BJP President Subhash Barala's son Vikas Barala and his friend Ashish Kumar appeared before the Chandigarh Police on Wednesday afternoon after skipping several summons and were taken for questioning over the stalking of an IAS officer's daughter. Both the accused arrived at the police station in Sector 26. Acting smart, they even refused to give physical samples of blood and urine. The refusal however, can be held against them in the investigation and during the trial.

But the main question which comes to every Indian citizen’s mind in such scenarios, is that, if an IAS officer’s daughter has to struggle to such an extent to fight for her justice, then what about the common man. One may wonder, that they go unheard.